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In 2021, the San Francisco 49ers were severely depleted at the running back position, with rotation players Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., and Trey Sermon all missing portions of the season with injuries.
That led to a difference in strategy by the 49ers, who utilized rookie running back
Elijah Mitchell heavily, as the Louisiana product rushed 207 times for 963 yards and five touchdowns in 2021.
In fact, it was the first time since 2017, the beginning of the Shanahan-Lynch era, that the 49ers had a 200+ carry rusher, when Carlos Hyde rushed 240 times.
Since then, no running back had eclipsed the 156 carry mark, until Mitchell accomplished the feat in 2021.
What made the number even more impressive is that Mitchell reached 207 carries in just 11 total games, as he himself suffered numerous injuries during the course of the season.
Now, in 2022, the 49ers are determined to return to their original rushing plan, according to 49ers insider Matt Maiocco.
"The influx of running backs over the past two drafts makes for what should be an interesting competition at running back, as coach Kyle Shanahan appears determined to deploy more of a backs-by-committee approach," Maiocco said.
On paper, that theory makes sense.
The 49ers drafted running back
Ty Davis-Price in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, adding to a group that now includes a healthy Trey Sermon, Jeff Wilson Jr., and Elijah Mitchell, as well as undrafted free agent
Jordan Mason.
Mitchell's numerous injuries could prompt a decrease in usage during 2022 in an effort to keep the second-year running back healthier for the upcoming campaign, leading the way for other members of the position group to share some of the spotlight.
It's also interesting to note the variety of skillsets within the running back room.
Mitchell was primarily featured as an outside-zone rusher in 2022, seeing his best success when running behind left tackle
Trent Williams, utilizing his speed to get yards outside the numbers.
Davis-Price, on the other hand, appears to be more of a short-yardage rusher. While he doesn't possess the long speed of Mitchell, he has elite explosiveness—showcased by his excellent 1.53 10-yard split—and a burly 6'1, 220-pound frame that should help him sustain hits at the NFL level.
Sermon is more of an agile rusher, trimming down his weight over the past year in exchange for more shiftiness, which has been on display in several workout videos of him alongside other NFL running backs.
Mason, an undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech, is a jack-of-all-trades, possessing size, speed, and the receiving ability to potentially make him a competent third-down threat in the NFL.
With several running backs with differing skillsets, it appears that the 49ers will return to their backs-by-committee form in 2022, as long as injuries don't thwart the position group as they did a year ago.
It wasn't supposed to end like this. But in the end, what did you expect? This is who the 49ers are.
Not a bad team, no. God, no. If that's what you think after watching an NFFCG collapse, I humbly request you consider this game tomorrow. A week from now. With a bit of distance, tracing the arc of the whole season.
That still doesn't change the fact that this game was ugly. It was horrific. No, it was worse - a farce. This was Kyle Shanahan trying to bluff an invading army with a tea party out in the open. There's no blame to be laid at his feet here. Maybe against another army, a team less consistently aggressive and outside of its home turf. It's just not a strategy that works against Nick Sirianni's Eagles. Playoff football is a game of
The San Francisco 49ers announced the organization's 2022 team award recipients. They are listed below.
Len Eshmont Award
DL Nick Bosa
The Len Eshmont Award is voted on by the players and is given to the 49er who best exemplifies the inspirational and courageous play of Len Eshmont, an original member of the 1946 49ers team. Eshmont, who coached at Navy and Virginia following his career in San Francisco, died in 1957. The award was established that year.
Bill Walsh Award
LB Fred Warner
The Bill Walsh Award was established in 2004 in honor of San Francisco's Hall of Fame Head Coach. The award, which is voted on by the coaching staff, is given to the 49er who has best represented the
Every year, we poll 49ers Webzone fans to determine the San Francisco 49ers' most valuable player in the eyes of The Faithful. This season's MVP was probably clear even before the voting started. Although, there was a chance that Christian McCaffrey, the star running back acquired from the Carolina Panthers ahead of the trade deadline, could steal away a significant number of the votes, and he did.
Still, defensive end Nick Bosa's dominant 2022 campaign was enough to solidify his lead among 49ers teammates. The star pass rusher earned over 43 percent of the fans from fans. McCaffrey came in second with nearly 29 percent of the votes, while rookie quarterback Brock Purdy earned almost 21 percent.
Our fans have chosen an MVP
The end of the 2022 season brings a whole new set of questions for the San Francisco 49ers -- questions that will start to get answered in the weeks and months ahead after looming large in the locker room following their NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
The 49ers have a number of players slated for free agency and will have to make some tough decisions on who will stay and who will go. Two of those players -- offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey and defensive back Jimmie Ward -- spoke about their futures on Sunday while also reflecting on their time with the 49ers.
We'll talk about what McGlinchey and Ward said Sunday, as well as a number of other topics in this version of 49ers Notebook. We'll also dive into what happened to Nick Bosa
