There’s been an intriguing development out of the 49ers’ first couple days of training camp. Running back Jordan Mason appears to have taken a step forward as a pass catcher, which may put him in a unique position in 2024.
Mason, an undrafted rookie in 2023, has struggled to find consistent playing time. Part of that is because of the two running backs ahead of him on the depth chart – Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell. Another issue though has been his inconsistency as a pass catcher. That has improved through the first couple days of camp according to reporters on site at practice. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner had this observation on Twitter:
Jordan Mason is offering more receiving chops than he has in the past. He’s made multiple catches the past couple of days and looked natural doing so.
David Lombardi from the Athletic also noted this exchange from McCaffrey’s press conference:
RB Jordan Mason splashed onto the scene as "The Closer" for the 49ers in 2022. Christian McCaffrey called him "Mariano Rivera" then.
Mason has shown very improved hands early this camp.
Christian McCaffrey: "I think he can pitch every inning now."
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) July 25, 2024
It’s unlikely McCaffrey is going to come off the field often, but as he enters his age 28 season the 49ers might aim to get him off the field more than they did last year. A prerequisite for that will be having a backup who can impact the game similarly enough that the offense won’t change in any substantial way.
For Mason, who had three catches for 31 yards on four targets last year, it’ll be about diversifying his game enough where his quarterbacks and coach trust him. As a rookie he never lined up as a receiver according to Pro Football Focus. Last year he lined up in the slot twice and split out wide thrice. He had one catch behind the line of scrimmage and two others in the middle of the field with an averaged target depth of 6.5 yards.
Increasing the volume of targets will help. That’s where trust built in camp will come in, so he’ll have to continue shining as a receiver as camp progresses. But reaching a point where he more consistently lines up wide and in the slot will be a key to the third-year RB getting on the field more in 2024. If he can start doing that and being a threat as a pass catcher, we could start seeing more regular Mason snaps this season.
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