By the end of the season, most fans had forgotten that the San Francisco 49ers had to drastically alter their running back plan in Week 1. Raheem Mostert was the starter, while sixth-round draft pick Elijah Mitchell served as his backup. Trey Sermon, a third-round pick, wasn't even active for the opener.
Mostert spent much of 2020 on and off injured reserve, playing just eight games and rushing for 521 yards and two touchdowns on 104 carries while adding 16 receptions for 156 yards and a receiving touchdown. Fans hoped 2021 would be Mostert's breakout season.
The veteran running back carried the football just two times for 20 yards before exiting Week 1 with a knee injury, later opting to undergo season-ending surgery.
At this point, Mostert might seem like a luxury, especially with the emergence of Mitchell, who set a franchise record for rushing yards by a rookie. Mitchell finished the season with 963 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 207 carries while adding 19 receptions for 137 yards and another score.
Mostert could return at the right price. However, the 49ers probably won't enter a bidding war for his services and will probably be content with their remaining backs.
Pro Football Focus listed Mostert as its most underrated free-agent running back. One destination that makes a whole lot of sense for Mostert is Miami, where he could reunite with his former offensive coordinator, Mike McDaniel, now the Dolphins' head coach.
"It's only a matter of time before Mostert follows Mike McDaniel to the Miami Dolphins," wrote Anthony Treash. "McDaniel is going to change Miami to an outside-zone dominant run scheme, which is where Mostert does his best work. The speedy back ranked sixth and 13th among running backs in PFF grade in 2019 and 2020 before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 1 of 2021. Age and injuries are a concern, but when healthy, he's an elusive, big-play threat."
Meanwhile, Mitchell is working this offseason to elevate his game. He hopes to be just as dangerous catching the football as running it.
"I definitely want to improve on making guys miss in the open field. That's one thing," Mitchell said earlier this month. "And also, being able to not just be in the backfield, [but] trying to line up out wide, being a receiver. So this offseason, that's one thing I'm going to be working on, running routes and stuff."
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