San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell is among several starters not suited up for tonight's preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers. While many aren't due to injuries, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Mitchell is still nursing a hamstring injury and will likely miss the entire three-game preseason.
Schefter adds that Mitchell is expected to be ready for Week 1 of the regular season when the 49ers travel to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears.
49ers' RB Elijah Mitchell is nursing a hamstring injury that likely will prevent him from playing in the preseason, per league source. Mitchell is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2022
Mitchell not playing is not entirely unexpected. The 49ers had been ramping up the running back's workload in training camp. In April, Mitchell underwent a clean-up procedure on his knee.
"Elijah's just getting back healthy," Shanahan said on August 1. "We didn't get him in OTAs. He did a lot of good things last year, but he was also banged up throughout the year. So Elijah is just trying to get back to [100 percent] health. Once he is healthy, now he's got to get into the routine of how to practice each day, how to do what he needs to do to play running back for the longevity of a year."
San Francisco made Mitchell (5-10, 200) a sixth-round selection (No. 194 overall) out of Louisiana last year. He led the 49ers in rushing yards in 2021, carrying the football 207 times for 963 yards and five rushing touchdowns while adding 19 receptions for 137 yards with a receiving touchdown through 11 game appearances (10 starts).
Additionally, the 49ers announced that the following 19 other players also aren't expected to play against the Packers.
- WR Brandon Aiyuk
- LB Azeez Al-Shaair
- DL Arik Armstead
- DL Nick Bosa
- DL Samson Ebukam
- QB Jimmy Garoppolo
- LB Dre Greenlaw
- FB Kyle Juszczyk
- TE George Kittle
- OL Jaylon Moore
- CB Emmanuel Moseley
- DL Charles Omenihu
- DL Hassan Ridgeway
- WR Deebo Samuel
- CB Charvarius Ward
- S Jimmie Ward
- LB Fred Warner
- T Trent Williams
- RB Jeff Wilson
