49ers Should Go Back to the FA market in Wilson Injury Aftermath
San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. is expected to miss four to six months with a torn meniscus. Week 1 is less than four months away, which means the 49ers will be without last season’s leading rusher.
Wilson accumulated 600 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 126 carries, while splitting touches with the ineffective Jerick McKinnon and the injured Raheem Mostert.
The belief that Kyle Shanahan’s offense can succeed with any running back was quickly exposed last year. McKinnon (3.9), Tevin Coleman (1.9) and undrafted rookie JaMycal Hasty (3.8) all averaged under 4.0 yards-per-carry.
The 49ers addressed that by signing former New York Giants running back Wayne Gallman, and picking two running backs in the 2021 draft, Trey Sermon (Ohio State) and Elijah Mitchell (Louisiana), essentially pushing Hasty to the roster bubble and moving on from McKinnon and Coleman.
In 2021, Wilson was expected to compete with Mostert for lead-back duties, while the rookies eased into NFL action, Gallman provided veteran depth and Hasty acted as insurance.
With the loss of Wilson for the foreseeable future, everyone sees an increase in usage. Mostert is the starter, Sermon is the complement, Gallman takes over Wilson’s role, Mitchell offers a change of pace and Hasty is the pass-catcher.
Yet, given the injury history of the entire unit, that might not be enough to get through training camp, let alone preseason and the first half of the regular season.
Rather than roll the dice with an injury-prone backfield, the 49ers should bring in another body with NFL experience.
Some veteran options, albeit not perfect ones, include Devonta Freeman, Chris Thompson, Todd Gurley and Duke Johnson.
The four have extensive injury histories themselves, which is likely a driving factor in why they are all still available.
Freeman and Gurley are early down backs with plenty of experience in the system. Both would be able to give mid-to-above-average production in the event Mostert gets injured. But as long as Mostert and Sermon are healthy, that’s not where the 49ers’ most pressing needs lie.
San Francisco is much better served looking to improve its third-down back role, which is why Thompson and Johnson make more sense. They are pass-catchers who know the system well, especially Thompson, who played under Shanahan and Sean McVay in Washington.
Johnson averages 3.4 receptions a game over six seasons, with 42.7 percent of his catches going for first downs. Thompson has 3.1 RPG with 29.3 percent moving the chains, and averaged 4.8 yards per carry while with Washington.
Again, neither are perfect. But the 49ers need capable bodies to ease the load of Mostert and Sermon, and also provide a solid check down for whoever is taking snaps under center Week 1.
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