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Sunday night was San Francisco 49ers running back
Elijah Mitchell's first game back since suffering an MCL sprain in Week 1. While he was sidelined, the 49ers pulled off a blockbuster trade, acquiring running back
Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers.
Mitchell entered Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers knowing the game plan called for him and McCaffrey to split the workload. Mitchell led the team with 89 rushing yards on 18 carries, while McCaffrey finished with 38 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, adding four catches for 39 receiving yards.
"We could be the best duo backs in the league, in my opinion," Mitchell said after the 49ers' 22-16 win.
McCaffrey received 11 of the 49ers' first 16 carries, while Mitchell had 13 of the last 16 in the game.
"I really don't mind at all, when it's a run play, who's in," head coach Kyle Shanahan said this morning on KNBR's
Murph & Mac show. "Both of those guys, to me, can run the ball at a very high level, and their skill sets are pretty similar. I mean, they have a little bit different style, but there's not one run that one guy can do that the other guy can't do.
"We went into that game saying, 'In a perfect world, when this game is done, it would be awesome if they could have even carries.' We thought that would be hard because Christian's just going to be in there a little bit more, especially on third down and stuff.
"I told [assistant head coach and running backs coach] Anthony [Lynn] that if it ended up that way, close to even, that would be a hell of a job substituting, which he was trying to do. Then towards the end, we got in those long drives, and we were kind of hammering it out. He left him in there for a while, and I thought it was a good decision."
The radio hosts asked Shanahan about the NBC broadcast, which repeatedly showed McCaffrey on the sideline, leaving many to wonder why the running back the 49ers traded so much draft capital for wasn't playing. Mitchell's success helped resist the urge to play McCaffrey more, though.
First, the coach humorously noted that he does not watch television broadcasts during games.
"And I don't think about what everyone is urging during the game," Shanahan continued. "I get it. Everyone's going to have their opinion, but those are the things that—I've just done this for a while, and I'm pretty blacked out to those types of things during the game."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
It's not an exaggeration to say that RB Christian McCaffrey is coming off one of the best individual seasons in the history of the San Francisco 49ers.
In his first full year in red and gold, McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing yards (1,459), total yards (2,023) and total touchdowns (21) on his way to becoming Offensive Player of the Year. His yards on the ground were the fourth most ever for a Niners running back and his 21 touchdowns trailed only WR Jerry Rice's team record of 23, which the Hall of Famer accomplished in just 12 games in 1987. McCaffrey was also prolific in the passing game, hauling in 67 receptions and often providing a safety net for QB Brock Purdy.
Because McCaffrey has meant so much to Kyle Shanahan's scheme, it's easy to see why the offense
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
