Coleman, who played under head coach Kyle Shanahan for two years with the Atlanta Falcons, joins a crowded backfield that includes runners Jerick McKinnon, Matt Breida and special teams ace Raheem Mostert. Exactly how Shanahan and running backs coach Bobby Turner formulate this crop, and who stays and goes, likely won't be determined anytime soon.
For now, though, Coleman will look to be another integral piece of Shanahan's offense once more. And it appears as if a number of his new teammates, as well as others, are looking forward to seeing what the 25 year old can bring to San Francisco's offense.
It's going to be interesting to see how Shanahan deploys what could be a foursome of running backs this upcoming season. True, Jerick McKinnon is coming off a season-long ACL tear and has yet to take a regular-season snap with the 49ers. Matt Breida, after rushing for an average of 5.3 yards per carry, likely isn't going anywhere in 2019.
And Raheem Mostert's abilities on special teams puts him on the safer side of the roster bubble.
But as ESPN's Adam Schefter pointed out, a possible deployment of the trio of Coleman, McKinnon and Breida could spell headaches for opposing defensive coordinators. Shanahan won't simply deploy weapons like these in the traditional sense, rather lining up runners as pass catchers and creating mismatches in the process.
Until then, it sure looks as if San Francisco's offense just got a bit more dynamic.
Written By:
Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
All articles by Peter Panacy
Peter Panacy
Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
All articles by Peter Panacy
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