Tag: 49ers depth chart

49ers breakout offensive star quickly became an afterthought

Don’t expect Jordan Mason to be involved more in the offense any time soon.

The San Francisco 49ers appear to be falling into a pattern where they’re leaving good players on the sideline since running back Christian McCaffrey returned.

In McCaffrey’s absence, RB Jordan Mason posted 685 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 134 carries. Over that eight-game stretch he averaged 5.11 yards per rush, which is tied for the seventh-best mark in the NFL. He ran for more than 100 yards thrice, and the only time he ran for fewer than 58 yards was the Week 8 game vs. the Dallas Cowboys where he exited with an injury after only six carries.

Now that McCaffrey has returned, Mason has reverted to being an offensive afterthought. In the two games with McCaffrey in the lineup Mason has played only five snaps and received three carries for 18 yards.

It appeared through eight weeks that Mason had proven to be enough of a weapon that the 49ers could lean on him more once McCaffrey returned. Mason could not only spell McCaffrey to help manage his Achilles injury, but he could offer some explosive play potential with a different running style than the starter.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t appear to be planning on adding more to Mason’s workload any time soon.

“Yeah, I like all those guys playing,” Shanahan said. “But it depends on the situation, depends how many times you’re getting the ball, it depends on the drives, it depends if we’re going to put two backs out there. When you do two backs, then you’ve got to take either a big off or another receiver. But I’m not always thinking of how to get Christian off.”

There’s potential for Shanahan to operate with McCaffrey and Mason (or rookie fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo) on the field together, and he acknowledged as much in Wednesday’s press conference. However, he didn’t sound eager to make that personnel grouping part of the offense.

Instead we’ll likely see more of what we saw a season ago. When McCaffrey is healthy, he’s going to be on the field and the 49ers are going to rely on him to be their go-to playmaker. That appears to be the case no matter what kind of wrinkle another RB on the sideline might be able to add to the offense.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers make apparent strength stronger in Draft Wire mock

The 49ers get a fascinating CB prospect in this Draft Wire mock:

It looks like the San Francisco 49ers might be committing to a philosophical change in the way they build their defense.

That became apparent when the club used a second-round pick on cornerback Renardo Green in the 2024 draft, and then in the middle of the 2024 season extended fourth-year CB Deommodore Lenoir on a five-year contract. It was a different type of investment in cornerback than we’ve seen from a club that has typically prioritized its defensive line and pass rush.

A new first-round mock draft from our friends at Draft Wire illustrate how that potential change in team-building style could manifest in the 2025 draft.

Draft Wire has the 49ers committing further to their secondary and adding East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel.

Revel is listed at a massive 6-foot-3, 193 pounds. In 24 games with East Carolina he racked up 71 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, three interceptions, and 16 pass breakups. He also blocked a pair of kicks during the 2023 campaign.

While he checks a lot of boxes as a prospect, including a physical playing style that should fit in well with San Francisco, he comes with a major injury red flag. Revel tore his ACL during a September practice, which puts his status for the start of the 2025 season in question, and raises questions about how well he’d play after recovering from that injury.

On the other hand, the 49ers may be in a spot where they can afford to take a talent sliding down the draft board because of an injury. With Green and Lenoir figuring to hold down two starting spots, the 49ers could ease Revel into action.

For 49ers fans the idea of taking a player coming off an ACL tear may be off-putting given some of the organization’s failures in that area during the early-to-mid 2010s, but Revel is a top-flight talent who could round out an excellent young group of cornerbacks.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers offense gets boost from unlikely source vs. Cowboys

Shoutout to Isaac Guerendo.

The San Francisco 49ers’ offense was stuck in a little bit of a rut Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, but an unlikely hero helped them turn it around.

In the first half of a 30-24 win over the Cowboys, the 49ers scored only six points. Their run game in particular struggled with running back Jordan Mason churning out only 18 yards on six carries in the first quarter and change.

A shoulder injury wound up forcing Mason into the locker room before halftime, opening the door for rookie fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo. He entered the game with just 23 carries on the season, including only one in Week 7 against the Chiefs.

Sunday wasn’t the first time Guerendo got an opportunity for extended playing time, but it was certainly his best outing. He rushed for 85 yards on 14 carries and scored his first-career touchdown. He also got to 85 yards with a long run of just 19.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game that the improvement for Guerendo has been clear.

“I think he’s learned from each run he’s gotten,” Shanahan said. “There are a couple runs earlier in the year that he did alright on, but we grade him pretty hard, everybody pretty hard. And he had a couple, like four-yard runs we thought he could have got seven yards on. We go pretty hard on him. And then you watch how he takes that to practice and everything we’ve really kind of been pushing him with, he’s been real coachable, he’s not a sensitive guy, he’s real detailed and he’s very poised for a rookie. Things aren’t too big for him and didn’t get a lot of preseason, but once he got healthy there and throughout this year, I feel he’s gotten better each week.”

Guerendo also played a big role in the 49ers’ Week 6 win over the Seattle Seahawks, but he struggled to find running room in that game before a 76-yard run late in the fourth quarter helped the 49ers seal the victory. He finished the game with 10 carries for 99 yards.

He was more consistent Sunday night with runs of 19 and 15 yards on his first two touches. He flashed his speed and his power, and in general looked more patient in waiting for running lanes to develop.

Shanahan also said Guerendo was running well enough that they didn’t even try to put Mason back in the game after he came out for the second half with his helmet on — a sign he was ready to go.

Guerendo rewarded the 49ers’ faith in him by going for 47 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the second half. He also contributed as a pass catcher, hauling in three of his four targets for 17 yards.

The talent has always been apparent with Guerendo, he just wasn’t catching on the way we’ve seen other RBs do in Shanahan’s scheme. Sunday night was his coming out party and it came in a game where the 49ers desperately needed their run game to get rolling to help them turn things around after a rough first half.

With Christian McCaffrey set to return soon, Guerendo may not get another opportunity as a lead RB this season, but he took his opportunity Sunday night and played well enough to be a major cog in a huge 49ers victory.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers promote undrafted rookie DL to active roster, place Brandon Aiyuk on IR

The San Francisco 49ers made the move to put Brandon Aiyuk on IR after his season-ending knee injury.

The San Francisco 49ers have officially placed wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on Injured Reserve after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 against the Kansa City Chiefs.

In a corresponding move, the 49ers promoted undrafted rookie defensive tackle Evan Anderson to the active roster from the practice squad.

Anderson has performed well in limited action this season. He debuted as a pro in Week 4 against the New England Patriots and came up with a strip sack against quarterback Jacoby Brissett. He played 19 total snaps in that game. Anderson was also elevated for the 49ers’ Week 6 matchup with the Seahawks and posted a pair of tackles in 13 total snaps.

Football analytics site Pro Football Focus has given him a sterling 91.8 overall grade through his first couple of games. He’s graded out particularly strong as a pass rusher, where PFF has awarded him a 92.3 overall grade.

If he can help improve their pass rush by pushing the pocket from the interior, it would go a long way toward filling the void left by defensive tackle Javon Hargrave who suffered a season-ending injury back in Week 3.

There’s no surprise Aiyuk was placed on IR. It was a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if’ he was placed there after suffering a torn ACL and MCL. By putting him on IR on Wednesday it cleared a roster spot for Anderson, and cleared a practice squad spot, giving San Francisco two open spots on their practice roster.

They filled those two spots with offensive lineman Dieter Eiselen and wide receiver Malik Turner.

Turner spent time with the 49ers in the last couple of offseasons. They may need his experience, particularly on special teams, while they deal with a rash of injuries at wide receiver.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers breakout star Jordan Mason isn’t satisfied with strong start to 2024

Jordan Mason knows how great Christian McCaffrey is. Now he wants to be better.

There aren’t many stories in the NFL this season better than San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason.

The third-year undrafted rookie RB entered the season with 83 career carries and looked to be in line for another year a seldom-used reserve behind reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Christian McCaffrey. Now he’s the NFL’s second-leading rusher and San Francisco’s workhorse back while McCaffrey nurses bi-lateral Achilles tendinitis.

Mason isn’t satisfied with simply being a good story, though.

He joined the Candlestick Chronicles podcast with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (launching October 25!), and said even before his new role emerged he was setting goals for himself to be the 49ers’ best running back.

“You gotta have goals within yourself, honestly,” Mason said. “I mean, I know who Christian McCaffrey is, and I wanna be better than him. He’s great, but I wanna be greater. So that’s my motivation in life.  I want to get better as myself. I want to get better — like I see my kids, when they look at me, they look at me like Superman. So I’ve gotta be Superman for them. So just things like that. You’ve gotta be motivated. You’ve gotta have that fire in you.”

While Mason has work to do to surpass McCaffrey, he’s off to a good start in his first stretch as a full-time, No. 1 back. His 5.2 yards per carry are the third-highest among players with at least 100 rushes, and he’s on pace to churn out 1,619 rushing yards — 232 more than McCaffrey’s career-high.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Mason’s strong start is that he’s maintained his productivity despite an unprecedented workload. He had his NFL career-high in carries for a season after only two games. Now he’s 44 carries shy of his career high in carries at Georgia Tech. He had 172 attempts in the 2019 campaign.

Mason said the expanded role hasn’t changed the way he handles himself during the season, save for some body maintenance.

“Honestly, you don’t want to change a lot,” Mason said. “Cuz then you start getting in your head thinking ‘oh you gotta do this. Oh you gotta do that.’ Like Christian even told me. He was like, ‘dude, just do you. What you’ve done has got you here, so just continue to do you.’ And that’s literally what he told me from himself, so I’m just staying the same. Obviously you’ve gotta do more things with maintaining your body. I’ve done acupuncture more times than ever before.”

The star RB admitted he isn’t a fan of needles, but he’s gotten used to the acupuncture treatment.

As the 49ers’ stumble toward their Week 9 Bye, they’re under a microscope with a 3-4 record after entering the season as a Super Bowl favorite.

While there are several ways to parse just what’s wrong with the 49ers this season, their offense is a particular aspect that’s drawn some scrutiny. They’ve made some changes to how they operate on that side of the ball with more downfield passing and fewer short throws that generate yards after the catch.

There’s still a heavy emphasis on the run game, and while Mason didn’t want to talk about some of the larger changes to San Francisco’s offensive approach, he knows exactly what his role is supposed to be when his number is called.

“I’m not gonna say too much about that,” Mason said. “All I know is when Brock Purdy wants to give me the ball, I’m there and I’m ready.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Could son of 49ers legend help team replace Brandon Aiyuk?

The San Francisco 49ers can’t close any doors when maneuvering their roster to make up for Brandon Aiyuk’s season-ending knee injury.

Replacing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk quickly shot up the San Francisco 49ers’ list of priorities when the 2023 All-Pro went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 7.

Aiyuk’s injury, which came just over two weeks before the NFL’s Nov. 5 trade deadline, may push San Francisco into action to acquire a WR on the trade market. There are a handful of options that make sense if that’s the route they want to take.

If they don’t take that route, there’s an intriguing name in the building who could make his way to the roster: undrafted rookie WR Terique Owens, who is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and 49ers legend Terrell Owens.

While the trade route seems to be the most logical one if the team is looking for a direct replacement for Aiyuk, head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in a conference call told reporters the team will explore the trade market without putting all their eggs in that basket.

“Well, it makes you look into everything,” Shanahan said of Aiyuk’s injury. “We try to look into everything regardless. Obviously with more issues that came up yesterday, you still want to look into everything, but it has to do with what options are out there with stuff that we can pull off that doesn’t totally hurt us, that helps us now and doesn’t hurt us for the future. There’s lots of decisions that go into it. So, we’ll look into everything, but a lot of times that’s just kind of living in hope.”

If a trade doesn’t materialize, the 49ers are likely to simply push Jauan Jennings into a more prominent role while backfilling the WR3 snaps with rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing, and veterans Chris Conley and Ronnie Bell.

They may want to keep another WR on the roster for depth purposes even if they don’t need to replace Aiyuk on a snap-to-snap basis. And that’s where Owens emerges as an internal option. Shanahan said without a trade, they’ll rely on who they have in the building.

“Those answers aren’t always out there,” Shanahan said. “You’ve got to be ready to get people better in your building and deal with what you’ve got in your building. And if you ever find something that makes sense, we will never hesitate on it but it’s not always available like you hope it is.”

Owens is one of two wide receivers on the practice squad, along with veteran and former 49ers fifth-round pick Trent Taylor. Taylor has primarily been a punt returner over the last few seasons, which may open the door for Owens to step in and contribute on more special teams units.

There’s no guarantee either Taylor or Owens are promoted from the practice squad. San Francisco, when healthy, is still working with six receivers who have roles in the offense and on special teams. The likelihood a practice squad receiver is anything more than a special teams contributor is something south of miniscule.

With injuries to Conley, Jennings and Samuel entering Week 8, however, there’s a chance we could see Owens elevated from the practice squad when the 49ers host the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers roster moves: WR Ricky Pearsall officially activated

Some 49ers roster moves!

The San Francisco 49ers officially activated first-round pick Ricky Pearsall off the Non-Football Injury list as part of a flurry of roster moves ahead of their Week 7 bout with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pearsall has been on the NFI since suffering a gunshot wound to the chest during an attempted robbery in San Francisco the week before the regular season began.

The No. 31 overall pick in this year’s draft had his 21-day practice window opened Monday before the team’s bonus practice. They didn’t need more than a week of practice to decide to activate the rookie receiver. He was a full participant Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and was officially listed as questionable on the injury report.

His activation makes it appear he’ll suit up for the first time as a pro Sunday.

In a corresponding move, kicker Matthew Wright was placed on Injured Reserve after suffering shoulder and back injuries while trying to make a tackle on a kickoff in Week 6. He was with the club because kicker Jake Moody was hurt the week prior, also while making a tackle on a kickoff.

With no kicker on the active roster, former Packers kicker Anders Carlson was elevated from the practice squad after signing early in the week. Carlson, 26, connected on 27-of-33 field goals last season with Green Bay in his only NFL season.

Undrafted rookie safety Jaylen Mahoney was also elevated from the practice squad to provide depth at safety and special teams contributions.

The 49ers and Chiefs kick off at 1:25pm Pacific Time from Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Christian McCaffrey return shouldn’t erase 49ers breakout star on offense

Christian McCaffrey should be back at some point, but that shouldn’t mean Jordan Mason disappears.

At some point this season running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to get back on the field for the San Francisco 49ers.

McCaffrey is battling Achilles tendinitis that first cropped up in Week 17 last season. There was some hope he’d return for the season opener, but he missed that game before landing on the injured list where he’s been since Week 2 with no firm timetable for his return.

His absence opened the door for third-year undrafted RB Jordan Mason to enter the fold, and Mason burst through it the same way he’s burst through defenses for 609 rushing yards this season. That’s the second-highest total in the league and a whopping 145 more yards than he had through his first two season combined.

There were some questions about whether he could contribute as an every-down player after his first two seasons. Mason has answered those questions authoritatively in the affirmative through six weeks this season.

While Mason’s role will undoubtedly shrink once the reigning Offensive Player of the Year returns, it can’t be diminished to what it was a season ago when Mason was largely an afterthought in any scenario that wasn’t a blowout while McCaffrey was healthy.

To be clear, McCaffrey should still hold a substantial role in the offense. His presence will cure some of what ails them on that side of the ball with yards-after-catch and scoring touchdowns in the red zone.

However, Mason has proven valuable to the 49ers’ offense with his ability to create yards after contact. That alone is worth having him on the field, but it becomes even more important considering what San Francisco is going to need to accomplish with managing McCaffrey’s tendinitis.

They can’t expect McCaffrey to step onto the field and average more than 21 touches per game. They also can’t get away from their identity as a run-first offense. That means utilizing Mason more often early in games where he’s taking some of the carries off McCaffrey’s plate. It might even mean at some points using McCaffrey as a de facto third-down back to ensure he’s fully healthy come playoff time. There are also some fun things they can do with McCaffrey and Mason on the field together where they’re utilizing McCaffrey’s skillset as a receiver to tie defenses into knots.

Ultimately the 49ers are in a good spot. They don’t need to rush McCaffrey back thanks to Mason’s success, and once he does return they don’t need him to be the workhorse he was last season.

There’s a sweet spot here for San Francisco where they maintain one of the NFL’s best offenses without overdoing McCaffrey’s workload and eliminating Mason from the picture during his breakout season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers working out 4 kickers after Jake Moody injury

Here’s how the 49ers are figuring out life without Jake Moody.

The San Francisco 49ers will have to work fast to replace kicker Jake Moody.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in a conference call told reporters that Moody suffered a high ankle sprain during the team’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Moody stepped in to make a special teams tackle and got his ankle caught underneath him.

Shanahan said the club is working out four kickers, but didn’t know exactly which four players would be coming in for a tryout.

It won’t be easy to replace Moody, who was 13-of-14 on field goals this season with his only miss coming from beyond 50 yards. He’s also a perfect 12-of-12 on extra points.

San Francisco has gone through similar issues a couple times under Shanahan. In 2019 they signed Chase McLaughlin for three games after kicker Robbie Gould got hurt. In 2020 they had to use K Tristan Vizcaino for one game, and in 2021 they had Joey Slye for three games.

This figures to be a longer stint than any of those though. High ankle sprains don’t generally heal quickly, and given the 49ers’ penchant for coming up short in the red zone, whoever they sign will immediately become one of their most important players as they aim to navigate the early-season rut they’ve been unable to climb out of.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

How 49ers are preparing for potentially missing Fred Warner in Week 5

Fred Warner has missed the first two days of practice this week..

The San Francisco 49ers in Week 5 may have to do something they’ve only had to do one other time in the last seven seasons: play without linebacker Fred Warner.

Warner injured his ankle late in the first half of the 49ers’ Week 4 win over the New England Patriots. He didn’t return to action in that game, then missed the first two days of practice leading up to a Week 5 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

There’s still a chance Warner is able to suit up, but defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said the team is preparing as though they won’t have their three-time All-Pro roaming the second level.

“Yeah, it’s not really counteract, it’s just next man up,” Sorensen said. “You’ll never fully replace Fred. Not saying we are, it’s just, the next guy’s got to practice and he’s got to operate. We’ve had some injuries. There’s adversity and there’s opportunity. So with that, the next guy gets a chance and they step up and you saw that even losing (DT Javon) Hargrave. We’ve had guys step in and (LB De’Vondre) Campbell play and not having (LB Dre Greenlaw) Law. Like you just asked about Malik Mustapha playing without having (SS Talanoa Hufanga) Huf, Huf’s played one game. So guys get opportunities and we expect them to perform and they expect themselves to, too. So at practice, that’s really where you get those reps and hone your skills. And with Fred and without Fred you’ve got to communicate and guys are doing that.”

It’s unclear exactly how the 49ers will replace Warner if he can’t go.

Campbell may be a factor at the Mike LB spot. LB Dee Winters has also started working in with the starters as a Will LB. He’s a candidate to jump into the lineup even if it is Campbell at MLB. Rookie Tatum Bethune is another option to jump into a starting role. It appears Campbell and Winters would be the two frontrunners to be the three-down players though.

It doesn’t seem likely recently-re-signed second-year LB Jalen Graham will factor in with the starting group, although with veteran Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles dealing with an injury and missing Thursday’s practice, the 49ers may not have a ton of choice with Graham. DaShaun White is the lone practice squad option. He may be elevated for the game, but he won’t likely see the field defensively.

Ideally the 49ers won’t need to rely on their LB depth, but getting by without starters has defined their season on both sides of the ball so far. Sunday they may once again need to lean on their ‘next man up’ mentality.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]