Raheem Mostert’s trade request sent a jolt into a typically quiet portion of the NFL offseason. One of the angles to dissect with his demand is what type of leverage he holds over the 49ers following a breakout 2019 campaign where he led the club with 772 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, and posted a whopping 5.6 yards per attempt on 137 carries.
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan is known for having a plug-and-play system at running back that’s allowed some relatively unknown backs to find success in his offense. One school of thought is that even with minimal experience in the backfield, the 49ers could cobble together a successful group of running backs even without their leading rusher from last season.
There would also be a concern from Mostert’s side that it wouldn’t be as easy to find production outside of Shanahan’s offensive ecosystem. That’s what history says, anyway.
We went back through all of Shanahan’s years as an offensive coordinator beginning with the Texans in 2008, dug up the stats on each of his teams’ leading rushers, and split up how they fared with and without him.
Here’s what we found:
Steve Slaton
Slaton was the Texans’ lead back in 2008 and 2009 — Shanahan’s first two seasons as an offensive coordinator. He was drafted in the third round of the 2008 draft and immediately made a big impact. He rushed 268 times for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns, while hauling in 50 receptions for 377 yards and one score. His first season was the best of his pro career, and he followed it up with a significantly less productive second year. Still — his two years under Shanahan were by far the best of his career. Slaton spent the 2010 season in Houston, then made his way to Miami after spending the first part of the 2011 campaign with the Texans. That 2011 campaign was his final season as a pro.
Numbers with Shanahan: 27 games, 399 carries, 1,791 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 94 receptions, 794 receiving yards, 5 receiving touchdowns.
Numbers without Shanahan: 18 games, 43 carries, 177 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 6 receptions, 14 receiving yards.