Cheap Free Agents the 49ers Should Target, Part 10 — Running Backs
Free agency for a running back is brutal, and current trends are making it worse.
Of the six running backs to sign $3 million AAV contracts in 2018, only two made it through 2020.
Carlos Hyde, Dion Lewis, Jonathan Stewart and Isaiah Crowell were all released, while Rex Burkhead and Jerick McKinnon combined to miss 49 games (32 by McKinnon) the past three seasons.
In 2019, another 49ers running back free agent signing, Tevin Coleman, was one of four to sign for more than $3 million AAV. Latavius Murray and Mark Ingram have provided quality production, but Coleman and Le’Veon Bell will be looking for new contracts in a few weeks.
This past offseason, only three backs signed for more than $3 million AAV. Todd Gurley and Jordan Howard will once again be free agents, while Denver’s Melvin Gordon splits carries with the inexpensive Phillip Lindsey.
Running backs’ free agency value is plummeting. The only two to sign for more than $20 million since 2018, McKinnon and Bell, will be lucky to crack $2 million this cycle.
In the 10th installment of “Cheap Free Agents the 49ers Should Target,” we (reluctantly?) check out the running back market. Read past positions here: safety, cornerback, linebacker, edge rusher, defensive tackle, offensive tackle, interior offensive line, wide receiver and fullback/tight end.
Although running backs are extremely important, and an ineffective one can stall your season (see San Francisco’s offense when its top two backs were injured), the 49ers should refrain from spending top dollar on Aaron Jones, Chris Carson, James Conner or Jamaal Williams.
They have two solid and inexpensive backs in Jeff Wilson Jr. and Raheem Mostert, which allows them to allocate resources elsewhere. They’re much better served utilizing the back-half of the draft, or the undrafted pool to round out their group.
But if they do choose to sign a veteran, there are a couple options that fit the team’s needs and would cost under $2 million.
The most popular choice would be Frank Gore. The 16-year pro spent 10 years with San Francisco, totaling 11,073 rushing yards and 64 touchdowns across 148 games.
Gore doesn’t have the speed to excel in Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone-blocking scheme, but the durable back is an excellent leader, pass-blocker and protector of the football.
He wouldn’t be signed to steal touches from Mostert, Wilson or even the 2020 UDFA JaMycal Hasty. He would fill the fourth spot and provide leadership, insurance and reliable production in limited snaps.
If the 49ers are strictly in search of veteran depth, Chris Thompson, Alfred Morris and Devonta Freeman would be training camp bodies that could sneak onto the roster.
Thompson played his rookie season (2013) under Shanahan and current San Francisco running backs coach Robert Turner Jr. The third-down back also played three seasons under Sean McVay. He would likely cost less than his 2020 $1.4 million salary.
Morris played for Shanahan and Turner in Washington (2012-13) and San Francisco (2018). He underwhelmed in San Francisco, but averaged 4.3 yards per carry over nine games with the Giants in 2020. That’s better than McKinnon, Hasty and Coleman.
Freeman played under Shanahan and Turner in Atlanta (2015-16). The seven-year veteran was late to sign this year, and struggled (3.2 YPC). But he made the Pro Bowl both seasons under Shanahan and Turner and would cost under $1.4 million.
An interesting low-cost option is Ameer Abdullah ($1.05 million in 2020). The 2015 second-round pick by Detroit did not live up to his draft pedigree, but he’s since carved out a role as Minnesota’s kick returner that occasionally draws carries.
Abdullah would slide behind Hasty, and improve the 49ers’ lackluster kick-return unit with his 26.4-yard career return average.
Again, commitments to free agent running backs have not paid off in recent years, especially for the 49ers. The budget for running back acquisitions should be south of $2 million.
But injuries happen. The 49ers learned that firsthand in 2020. They must build depth at running back. It wouldn’t hurt to go bargain-shopping for a veteran or two.
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