Okay, so I got curious about the running back situation for the 49ers the other day. It just popped into my head, you know? Like, who exactly do they have back there besides the main guy?
So, first thing I did was just pull up my phone and do a quick search. Obviously, Christian McCaffrey is the first name everyone knows. He’s the star, gets tons of touches, does everything. That part was easy, no real digging needed there.
But I figured, there’s gotta be more to it. One guy can’t do it all, especially in that physical offense they run. So, I started looking specifically for the backups. Who steps in if McCaffrey needs a breather or, knock on wood, gets dinged up?
Looking for the Other Guys
I remember Elijah Mitchell having some big games a while back. So, I checked on him. Seems like he’s still around, which is good. He’s shown he can be really effective when he’s healthy. That was one piece of the puzzle.
Then I tried to remember who else got carries last season. Jordan Mason, right. I looked him up too. He seems like more of that tough, between-the-tackles runner. Doesn’t have McCaffrey’s flash, but looks dependable for short yardage or grinding clock.
So, my little search basically turned up these guys:
- Christian McCaffrey: The main engine, no doubt.
- Elijah Mitchell: The speedy change-of-pace guy, if healthy.
- Jordan Mason: The grinder, seems reliable.
I also saw they might have picked up some newer faces or undrafted guys, but it’s hard to tell who will stick until training camp really gets going. You always find some surprises there.
Putting it Together
So, after maybe 15-20 minutes of poking around, reading a few short articles and checking the roster, it feels like they’ve got a pretty solid setup. McCaffrey is the clear number one, but Mitchell and Mason provide different skill sets behind him. It makes sense with how much they like to run the ball and how Shanahan’s system seems to work well for different types of backs.
It was just a quick look, nothing super deep, but it satisfied my curiosity for the day. It’s always interesting to see how teams build out those key position groups behind the big star.
