Tag: 49ers roster

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.”

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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.

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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.

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49ers practice squad raided by Giants after bad injury news for OL

The 49ers lost some internal OL depth.

The New York Giants are raiding the San Francisco 49ers practice squad for offensive line help after news came down that starting left tackle Andrew Thomas would miss the rest of the year with a foot injury.

According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters the team is signing veteran OL Chris Hubbard off the 49ers’ practice squad.

Hubbard spent training camp and the preseason with the 49ers on the recommendation of former 49ers offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill, who was teammates with Hubbard last year in Tennessee.

While there appeared to be some chance Hubbard would compete for the starting right tackle job after holding down that spot for the Titans in 2023, the veteran OL never made a real push for that job.

He wound up getting cut and returning to the practice squad in mid-September as internal OL depth for the 49ers. His exit will leave San Francisco short on experience on their practice squad.

Without Hubbard, Isaac Alarcon and undrafted rookie Drake Nugent are the only two internal depth options for San Francisco on the offensive front. Neither player has played a snap in the NFL.

With an open practice squad spot the 49ers could opt to add another offensive lineman. Chances are they’ll wait until after Week 7 to see what their injury situation looks like to make another move. They may also wait until their Week 9 bye to do anything major when they can have time off to assess where their roster stands.

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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.

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49ers skyrocket into NFC playoff picture after Week 6

The NFC playoff picture once again features the 49ers.

Week 6 may mark a turning point in the 2024 season for the San Francisco 49ers.

After stumbling through the first five weeks, the 49ers righted the ship with a 36-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. The win put San Francisco in first place in the NFC West by way of head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks.

With the Arizona Cardinals loss to the Green Bay Packers, the 49ers were guaranteed to end Week 6 with a share of first place in their division. They also skyrocketed up the NFC standings and firmly into the playoff picture.

The 49ers entered Week 6 at No. 14 out of 16 teams in the NFC thanks to a putrid 0-3 record in the conference that dropped them below other 2-3 teams because of tiebreakers.

After Week 6 the 49ers now find themselves in position to host a home playoff game. Here’s what the playoff picture looks like entering Week 7:

1. Vikings (5-0)
2. Falcons (4-2)
3. Commanders (4-2)
4. 49ers (3-3)
5. Lions (4-1)
6. Bears (4-2)
7. Buccaneers (4-2)

Step 1 for the 49ers was getting themselves back into the playoff picture after starting the year on the outside looking in. A third of the way through the year they’re in a better spot and their path ahead is clear.

San Francisco’s goal is obtaining the No. 1 seed. That still seems a ways off since they’re 2.5 games back of the Vikings for that spot and Minnesota holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The more immediate focus should just be climbing the standings and trying to gain some separation from their NFC West rivals.

Moving ahead isn’t going to be easy for the 49ers. They host the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys before their bye week. Those games won’t be easy, but thanks to Week 6, San Francisco is in a position to perhaps get as high as No. 2 in the NFC before getting a much-needed week off where reinforcements could be coming off of IR.

Week 6 was big for the 49ers, but it only put them back on track. Every game moving forward will be even bigger if they’re going to re-assert their dominance in the NFC.

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49ers add depth from practice squad at DL, S for Week 6

Some 49ers roster moves!

The San Francisco 49ers on Thursday announced a pair of practice squad elevations for their Week 6 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

Undrafted rookie defensive lineman Evan Anderson and undrafted rookie safety Jaylen Mahoney were both brought up as standard elevations for Thursday’s game. They’ll revert to the practice squad Friday.

It makes sense this pair was called up for San Francisco. Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott is out with a knee injury and safety Talanoa Hufanga was placed on IR with a wrist injury.

Anderson made his debut against the New England Patriots in Week 4. He had a sack and forced fumble in that game after beating out a couple of veterans to earn the elevation in that week of practice. He’ll provide rotational depth on the D-line.

Mahoney was also up for the Patriots game. He has yet to play on defense, but he did record a tackle in seven defensive snaps. He figures to contribute on special teams while providing depth at safety where Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha are the likely starters.

The 49ers and Seahawks kick off at 5:15 from Lumen Field in Seattle.

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49ers defensive coordinator gets vote of confidence from Kyle Shanahan

Robert Saleh back to the 49ers? Don’t bank on it.

An interesting potential wrinkle was thrown into the San Francisco 49ers’ season on Tuesday when news broke that the New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh.

Saleh was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator through the 2020 season before the Jets made him their head coach. As the 49ers’ defense has struggled in 2024, there have been some questions about whether new DC Nick Sorensen is up for the task of righting San Francisco’s defensive ship.

Concerns about Sorensen combined with Saleh hitting the free agent market made a potential mid-season reunion between the 49ers and their old DC a popular talking point on social media. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Sorensen on Tuesday in a press conference and gave the defensive coordinator a strong vote of confidence.

“I think Nick’s doing a real good job,” Shanahan said. “I’ve been impressed with him since the beginning. Each week, I like how he handles the defensive staff. I like how they set up the practices and I’ve liked his game plans and I liked how he’s called it. So I’ve been real happy with Nick so far.”

Defensive end Nick Bosa after the 49ers’ 24-23 loss to the Arizona Cardinals mentioned that he didn’t think the club made the right in-game adjustments. Shanahan also pushed back on that in his Monday conference call, again backing his most recent DC hire.

While there may be some question marks around Sorensen as he wades into deeper waters in his first season as a coordinator, it’s clear the 49ers aren’t ready to make a dramatic change to their coaching staff. Given some of their roster limitations and injuries on the defensive side, it makes sense that Shanahan wouldn’t want to hit the eject button on the DC just yet.

However, if players continue expressing doubts about Sorensen’s management of the game, the 49ers may try turning to a more trusted voice like Saleh’s if they determine a change is necessary.

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1 big change 49ers can make to help QB Brock Purdy

Here’s one way the 49ers can help their offense.

It’s hard to watch the San Francisco 49ers offense this season and not notice a very different version of that unit than we’ve seen in recent years.

Quarterback Brock Purdy has started relying heavily on downfield throws, and not so much on yards after catch. While Purdy is playing well, the 49ers’ offense has stagnated at times during the season.

One way they might be able to help is by getting back to an old staple: play-action passing.

The 49ers through Purdy’s first season-plus relied a ton on play action. In 2022 when he took over as a rookie, 26.6 percent of his dropbacks were play action according to Pro Football Focus. That trend continued in 2023 with 23.0 percent of his dropbacks featuring play action.

In 2024 that percentage has plummeted to 17.6 percent in a baffling shift from head coach Kyle Shanahan.

To make matters worse, Purdy has better numbers in play action this year than he has at any point in his career. This season he’s completing 78.6 percent of his play action throws and averaging a whopping 12.4 yards per attempt.

In 2022 his completion rate was at 67.7 percent with 10.1 yards per attempt. In 2023 the YPA stayed stagnant while his completion rate leapt to 77.3 percent.

This season in particular the move away from play action throws becomes even more head-scratching considering his numbers outside of it. Without play action this season, Purdy’s completion rate is at 62.8 percent, while his yards-per-attempt sits at 8.0. All four of his INTs have come without play action. His completion rate jumps 15.8 points and his YPA shoots up by 4.4 yards with the fake involved.

Perhaps moving away from play action has been personnel-related. Maybe it has to do with how the 49ers are being defended. It’s clear they have to find ways to sprinkle in more play action dropbacks though because moving away from it hasn’t been helpful. The sooner they start doing it at a higher rate, the sooner they put themselves in a position to maximize their offense and their quarterback.

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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.

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