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49ers work out two veteran running backs after rookie misses practice

One of them used to play for the 49ers.
Grant Cohn|
Aug 9, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (23) scores a touchdown against Atlanta Falcons linebacker JD Bertrand (40) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Aug 9, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (23) scores a touchdown against Atlanta Falcons linebacker JD Bertrand (40) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

Apparently, the 49ers are in the market for a running back.

On Tuesday, the 49ers had their sixth practice of training camp, and rookie Jordan James was not on the field. The 49ers didn't say why. Then on Wednesday, they worked out two veteran running backs, which suggests that James might be injured.

And the veteran running backs that worked out with the 49ers were Jeff Wilson Jr. and D'Ernest Johnson, according to The NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Will the 49ers sign a running back today?

Johnson, 29, played for the Jaguars last season and carried the ball 32 times for 143 yards and 0 touchdowns. He also caught 12 passes for 96 yards. So he's not bad. But his best season was in 2021 when he gained 671 yards from scrimmage while playing for the Browns. Now, he's looking to sign with his fourth team.

Wilson Jr., also 29, carried the ball just 16 times for 57 yards in 9 games last season for the Dolphins, even though they were desperate for production from their running backs. They seemed to think he was near the end of his career.

Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (23) stiff-arms Atlanta Falcons safety Lukas Denis (41) during the first quarter
Aug 9, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (23) stiff-arms Atlanta Falcons safety Lukas Denis (41) during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

In 2022, Wilson Jr. gained 1,045 yards from scrimmage and scored 6 touchdowns while playing eight games with the Dolphins and eight games with the 49ers. They traded him to Miami midseason after acquiring Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, Wilson Jr. will turn 30 in November and doesn't seem to have much juice left. If they sign him, he most likely would be a camp body and nothing more.

We'll see if Jordan James is on the field when the 49ers practice today. If not, one these two veterans might get signed. Stay tuned.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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