Will 49ers use Deebo Samuel as a runner more often down the stretch?
With running backs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell suffering knee injuries, the San Francisco 49ers could use Deebo Samuel more as a runner in the final stretch of the regular season.
Mitchell suffered another MCL sprain in San Francisco's shutout win over the New Orleans Saints last week— this one to his left knee, after previously hurting the right — and will be out for an extended period for a second time this season. Mitchell is expected to miss six to eight weeks, with a hopeful return in the postseason.
McCaffrey, who was added in a midseason trade with the Carolina Panthers, also suffered a minor knee injury against the Saints, but is expected to play against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. McCaffrey practiced on Thursday and told reporters that he feels great. However, the Stanford product played only 10 games between 2020 and 2021 due to various injuries.
The Niners traded Jeff Wilson Jr. to Miami after acquiring McCaffrey. Wilson has been productive for the Dolphins and will face his former team this weekend. Wilson still leads San Francisco with 468 rushing yards and two scores. And he's second in rushing on his new team in Miami, with 202 yards and two touchdowns during his short stint.
One of the reasons the 49ers moved on from Wilson is the presence of two rookie runners they like: Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price. They also have an experienced veteran in Tevin Coleman on the practice squad.
Mason helped close out San Francisco's win over the Saints last week, running for 25 yards and converting two first downs in the final six minutes to help salt that game away. San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo noticed Mason wearing one glove during the final drive.
"I didn't know he wore one glove until he was in the huddle with us, and it kind of caught me off guard a little bit," joked Garoppolo this week. "I didn't want to say it at the time, so I saved it for after the game. But JP (Mason) did a great job. He came in and was real calm. For a rookie to come in like that in that situation, run the clock out and get a couple, crucial first downs, that was some big stuff."
Both Mason and Davis-Price fit the prototype of big, physical bodies that San Francisco assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn likes to add to his running back room.
"It's really kind of just a collaborative effort," offensive line/run-game coordinator Chris Forester said, when asked how they determine a rotation for the running backs. "We just talk it out. And during the game, somebody seems to have a hot hand, or somebody doesn't — he missed the hole, or he tweaked something on special teams — you just don't know. There's a lot of variables. We'll just see how it goes, how it plays out."
However, those two and Coleman do not provide the explosiveness and home-run ability Samuel brought to San Francisco's backfield last season during the team's deep postseason run.
Samuel ran the ball 86 times for 502 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season and playoffs in 2021. That's an impressive 5.8 yards per carry.
According to Next Gen Stats, San Francisco aligned Samuel in the backfield on 113 snaps through the regular season and postseason last year. This season, Samuel has aligned in the backfield on 71 offensive snaps. Samuel's 202 rushing yards on 33 attempts (a 6.1-yard average) leads all receivers again in the regular season.
Of course, having a healthy Samuel for the postseason is a priority for San Francisco. Samuel did not practice this week because of a quad injury and has dealt with lingering hamstring issues this season.
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LeSean McCoy and David Helman discuss Week 13’s matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the San Francisco 49ers. Helman says this game is a huge opportunity for Tua Tagovailoa to prove he can compete at the highest level.
Coach Kyle Shanahan must take a cautious approach in how he uses Samuel over the final six games of the year.
"Any time you don't practice, it's a worry," Shanahan told KNBR radio in San Francisco. "We're not just giving time off to give him it off. He's trying to get healthy. He's working as hard as he can. His thigh has been bothering him. It hasn't loosened up the way we want it to. But hopefully it will be better today (Friday), and he'll be good to go for Sunday."
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Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.