Once social-distancing orders are eased, San Francisco 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon plans to work out with Washington running back Adrian Peterson at his gym in Texas, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. That is fantastic news for the 49ers, who hope to finally see what the running back can do within head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.
McKinnon, who initially signed a four-year deal with the 49ers in 2018, has yet to take a snap with the team. He has spent the last two seasons on injured reserve after tearing his ACL a week before the start of the 2018 regular season.
McKinnon attempted to return last year, but needed another procedure and found himself, once again, shelved for the season.
"There were a lot of things back then that were tough," McKinnon told Barrows of last year's situation. "I feel now that I'm getting back to where I was effortlessly."
San Francisco restructured McKinnon's deal in March. Now, it just runs through the 2020 season, which will give the running back one last shot to prove himself to coaches.
McKinnon and Peterson, teammates with the Vikings for three seasons (2014-16), hope to take part in the latter's typical but strenuous workout routine.
"I feel like it's my last test to really see how it feels," McKinnon said. "There's a lot of hard work going on down there. That's really where I'm going to amp it up as hard as I can and see where it goes."
McKinnon told Barrows that his knee is free from pain or soreness and is feeling normal again.
The 49ers traded their leading rusher from two seasons ago, Matt Breida, to the Miami Dolphins during the draft. The team still has last year's top rusher, Raheem Mostert, along with Tevin Coleman, Jeff Wilson Jr., and a couple of undrafted free agent backs on the roster. The trade of Breida could be seen as a vote of confidence in McKinnon's recovery.
Click here to read Barrows' full feature over at The Athletic.