49ers trade Matt Breida to Dolphins for 5th-round pick, draft OL Colton McKivitz

The 49ers traded RB Matt Breida to the Dolphins for a fifth-round pick that they used to draft West Virginia OL Colton McKivitz.

The 49ers made their second trade of the day Saturday when they sent running back Matt Breida to the Dolphins in exchange for pick No. 153. San Francisco then used that pick to select West Virginia offensive tackle Colton McKivitz.

Breida was a popular name in trade rumors leading up to the draft after he signed a one-year restricted free agent tender to stay in San Francisco. It was going to be tough for him to get snaps in a crowded backfield, and the 49ers were in need of some draft capital after not selecting for three entire rounds. Snagging an early Round 5 pick for Breida is pretty good value.

The 49ers signed Breida as an undrafted rookie in 2017, and he’s produced at a pretty good clip with the club. He averaged 5.0 yards per carry in 43 games across three seasons. The last two years he dealt with some injury issues, and fell out of favor after fumbling three times in his final 17 carries in 2019.

San Francisco used the additional selection to pick up West Virginia offensive tackle Colton McKivitiz.

McKivitz measured in at 6-6, 306 pounds at the combine. He doesn’t have great measurables from a size or athleticism standpoint, but NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein lauded McKivitz for his nastiness as a blocker.

There’s a chance San Francisco tries to transition McKivitz to the interior where his size becomes less of a negative factor and he can use his aggressiveness to help move bodies around inside.

If the team plans to keep him at tackle, he’ll jump in with Shon Coleman and 2019 sixth-round pick Justin Skule to compete for the swing tackle job.

49ers facing complicated running back situation

The 49ers have a glut of talent at running back, leading to a tough decision on the roster.

The 49ers face a slew of tough roster decisions heading into the 2020 season, but perhaps the most complicated one is in their very crowded, albeit very talented, running backs room.

Matt Breida on Thursday signed his one-year restricted free agent tender, ensuring he wouldn’t sign with another club in the offseason. The signing put a spotlight on the 49ers’ roster at the running back position and the tangled web of talent the front office has assembled.

Heading into the NFL draft, here’s what the 49ers’ group of running backs looks like:

Raheem Mostert
Matt Breida
Tevin Coleman
Jeff Wilson Jr
Jerick McKinnon

Mostert is the only player in that group signed beyond the 2020 season.

Breida is on a one-year restricted free agent tender. Coleman is on the second year of a two-year deal he signed last offseason. Wilson is on an exclusive rights tender, and McKinnon restructured his contract to effectively make it a one-year deal with an extra year tacked on strictly for spreading out his cap hit.

The only sure thing for the 49ers at running back going into this season is Mostert. While he can be let go without any major salary cap ramifications, he’s valuable as a runner and on special teams and shouldn’t have any trouble keeping his roster spot. Everyone after him is more expendable, but they also serve real roles in the 49ers’ offense.

Breida is a trade candidate, but he’s averaging more than 5.0 yards per carry in his career.

Coleman can be let go with $2 million in dead cap and just over $2.8 million in saving. He spearheaded the rushing attack through the middle part of the season and had a monster divisional playoff game against the Vikings.

Wilson can be released with no dead cap, but he’s the team’s de facto short-yardage and goal line back when he’s active.

McKinnon’s restructure makes him a $2 million cap hit with $910,000 in cap savings if he’s released after June 1. His torn ACL before the 2018 season and complications from it before 2019 have kept him from suiting up for the 49ers in the regular season, but his skill set could allow him to be the team’s top running back if he’s healthy.

With a maximum of four roster spots available for running backs, San Francisco is looking at a numbers issue in the backfield. And that’s without the added wrinkle of the team drafting another running back to ensure they have a player on a cheap contract beyond the 2020 season. That would give them six players for a maximum of four roster spots, and no easy cuts in the group.

Typically moving on from running backs is easy in a modern NFL where the value at that position is steadily declining. It’s not that easy for San Francisco though – a team that ran the ball more than every team but the Ravens last year. They rely too heavily on their deep stable of backs to spearhead the NFL’s second-highest scoring offense.

That group is going to look a little bit different in 2020, and figuring out who stays and who goes is going to be one of the toughest, most important decisions the 49ers coaching staff makes all year.

[vertical-gallery id=655117]

Matt Breida, Kendrick Bourne receive 2nd-round RFA tenders, Elijah Lee not tendered

The 49ers gave second-round tenders to two of their restricted free agents.

The 49ers on Tuesday made a pair of moves that put them in line to retain two of their offensive playmakers who are set to be restricted free agents. The team announced it tendered one-year contracts to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and running back Matt Breida. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported linebacker Elijah Lee was not tendered.

Both Bourne and Breida were given second-round tenders. That means their deals are worth $3,259,000 for one season. Since they’re restricted free agents, they’re still allowed to negotiate with other teams, and the 49ers will have right of first refusal and can match any offer. If they choose not to match, the signing team will be required to send San Francisco a second-round pick.

Bourne became one of the three receivers the 49ers leaned on last season while turning into a first-down and touchdown machine. Of his 30 catches in the regular season, 23 went for either a first down or a touchdown.

While Breida did fall out of the rotation last season, he’s still a valuable member of the 49ers’ backfield. Over the last two seasons he’s averaging 5.2 yards per carry on 267 attempts. His speed makes him a home-run threat every time he touches the ball. The 2019 season ended with a thud for him though after he fumbled on three of his final 16 carries. With some uncertainty in the backfield going into the year, Breida has a bounce-back opportunity in 2020 if he returns to the 49ers.

For Lee, not getting tendered doesn’t mean he won’t return to the 49ers. He played sparsely last year with most of his action coming on special teams in his eight games. They chose not to place an original round tender on Lee that would’ve cost the team $2,133,000 for the season. Instead, they’ll forego their right of first refusal while he explores the open market. He could wind up back in San Francisco if he doesn’t land a deal elsewhere.

2020 NFL Free Agency: Can the Saints lure Emmanuel Sanders away from the 49ers?

Big-name pending free agents for the San Francisco 49ers include Emmanuel Sanders and Arik Armstead, either of whom would help the Saints.

[jwplayer MtVV3ZUx-ThvAeFxT]

Our free agency series rolls on as we turn our sights towards the San Francisco 49ers. After a tough break in the Super Bowl, the 49ers may want to retool heading into the next season. That could bode well for the New Orleans Saints in terms of additional options on the free agent market.

San Francisco has 23 potential free agents, and there are a few who could be of some real interest to the Saints, especially if New Orleans wants to make a bold move and shake up the NFC hierarchy. Here are their pending free agents:

WR Emmanuel Sanders
FS Jimmie Ward
CB Jason Verrett
DE Arik Armstead
T Shon Coleman
C Ben Garland
TE Levine Toilolo
DE Damontre Moore
WR Jordan Matthews
CB Dontae Johnson
DT Sheldon Day
DE Anthony Zettel
DE Ronald Blair
DT Ethan Westbrooks
OLB Elijah Lee (RFA)
RB Matt Breida (RFA)
WR Kendrick Bourne (RFA)
CB Emmanuel Moseley (ERFA)
QB Nick Mullens (ERFA)
TE Ross Dwelley (ERFA)
RB Jeff Wilson (ERFA)
G Daniel Brunskill (ERFA)
T Andrew Lauderdale (ERFA)

The most obvious fit for New Orleans would be wideout Emmanuel Sanders. After not trading for Sanders at the trade deadline in 2019, the Saints could circle back around to him in free agency, especially since they would not have to give up any draft picks to place him on the roster. Sander had an incredible 2019 season, especially from the time he joined San Francisco through the Super Bowl. In 10 games with the 49ers, Sanders caught 36 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns. However, Sanders always seemed to make the big catches when he was needed the most. At 32 years old, and as an unrestricted free agent, he will be looking for the most lucrative deal he can manage, and it remains to be seen in the Saints can fork over that type of money to a receiver.

Arik Armstead is another free agent option, if New Orleans wants to make a big acquisition for their defensive front. Armstead would instantly provide the defensive line with some of the best firepower in the game. But again, Armstead will be one of the most expensive players for his position in free agency, and he might price himself out of the Saints’ budget.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=610623362]

[vertical-gallery id=28660]

7 players the Eagles could have interest in adding to their running back by committee

Eagles to utilize running back by committee in 2020 NFL season

The Philadelphia Eagles are likely to make several additions on offense and although running back is not expected to be a huge priority, the Birds could still look to add talent at that position.

According to ESPN’s Matthew Berry, who approached the NFL Combine from a fantasy football viewpoint, the Eagles may not be ready to make Miles Sanders a workhorse running back.

Doug Pederson and Duce Staley love to employ a running back by committee approach and Berry’s believe is that 2020 will hold true to form.

The Eagles really missed Jordan Howard down the stretch last season and with Howie Roseman always aggressively pursuing talent, here are seven ball carriers Philadelphia could target in free agency.

***

1. Jordan Howard

Despite analysts and critics already securing his ticket out of town, Howard can play with Miles Sanders and it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the Eagles to retain the bruising running back.

Sanders finished his rookie season with 1,327 yards from scrimmage and six total touchdowns, but he was banged up at times and Howard would provide a needed change of pace and size. Boston Scott will replace Darren Sproles’ role in the offense nicely, and with Corey Clement likely returning, Howard could give the Eagles a formidable rushing attack on paper.

[vertical-gallery id=630891]

Pages: 1234567

Should 49ers draft a running back?

Running back doesn’t seem like a need for the 49ers in the draft, but free agency could change that.

One of the 49ers’ myriad of intriguing roster decisions will come at one of their deepest positions. While San Francisco had an excellent stable of running backs, three of which turned in 500-yard seasons in 2019, there could be some changes coming to the position in the offseason.

With potential cuts coming to Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon, and Matt Breida set to hit restricted free agency, the 49ers may aim to restock their running backs room with some of their limited draft capital.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan and running backs coach Bobby Turner have had a lot of success with undrafted running backs Jeff Wilson Jr and Matt Breida during their tenure with the 49ers. They also turned journeyman special teams ace Raheem Mostert into a postseason star.

The lone pick used on a running back came in the fourth round in 2017 when the 49ers selected Utah’s Joe Williams. He never cracked the roster and was released before his second season.

It’d make sense if San Francisco decided to make that investment. Planning to do so would allow them to release Coleman and McKinnon to create $9.3 million in much-needed salary cap space, although a restructure for McKinnon is on the table.

With roster spots open at running back, trying to recreate the success they’ve had with undrafted players is a pretty risky proposition. The run game is so vital to the 49ers’ success, and finding a player who produces at a high level in the undrafted pool is not easy. Shanahan and Turner have done it so far, but finding a player in the middle rounds of the draft helps increase their odds of success.

They have enough late draft capital to either target a player in Round 5 or 6, but they also have a couple of fifth-round selections they could use to move up into Round 4 to scoop up a player they like.

That wouldn’t need to be a Day 1 starter, but somebody to help shoulder the load with Mostert, and possibly Breida, would go a long way toward re-establishing the depth that made the 49ers’ ground attack so effective in 2019.

On the other hand, they have an opportunity to carry over the same group of backs they had last season. That group ran for the second-most yards in the NFL a season ago. Mostert had 722 yards, Breida went for 623, Coleman went for 544, and Wilson went for 105. McKinnon missed his second consecutive season with a knee injury, but he’s been medically cleared to play and could have a significant role in the offense if he’s able to stay on the field.

Drafting a back doesn’t necessarily mean the 49ers are getting a player who’ll be able to replace any of those guys. Their lone draft pick at the position, Williams, never played a down in the NFL. Breaking up a very good backfield and risking a wasted draft pick comes with a significant risk, especially with other needs to fill.

How the 49ers navigate the draft at running back will rely heavily on what they do in free agency. In the event they do part ways with Coleman and McKinnon, it seems almost impossible that they wouldn’t try to replace them with a draft pick. However, if they do keep the group together – using a pick on another running back wouldn’t be a good use of already limited resources.

[vertical-gallery id=653118]

49ers roster recap: Running back depth in flux going into free agency

The 49ers roster could look quite different at running back going into training camp.

The 49ers’ backfield in 2019 featured three players that ran for more than 500 yards. Keeping that backfield intact going into the 2020 season seems like an easy call from a team-building standpoint, but San Francisco is going to have some decisions to make regarding their running backs as part of a host of moves that’ll determine how many of their key free agents they’ll be able to re-sign.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers offense rode their terrific run game to the Super Bowl last year, but a quick assessment of their backfield going into the offseason shows that big changes are more likely than the entire group returning.

Raheem Mostert, 27-years old

Mostert in 2019 emerged as an essential piece of the 49ers’ backfield moving into 2020. That probably wasn’t the role the team envisioned for him when they signed him to a three-year deal last offseason, but the special teams ace undoubtedly left the season as the team’s No. 1 option at running back. His ability to contribute in multiple facets will make him a valuable member of the roster going forward. Mostert should see a consistent role in the run game though after averaging 6.0 yards per carry on 171 attempts over the last two seasons.

[lawrence-related id=653395]

Pages: 123456

5 possible free agent RBs for the Cardinals

Arizona has a lot of interesting decisions to make in free agency – one of which is what happens if they can’t re-sign Kenyan Drake?

With free agency less than two months away now, Arizona Cardinals fan are eagerly anticipating what the team will do to shore up the team for the second year of Kyler Murray.

One of the positions that is most in flux at the moment is the running back (as discussed here). With the unknown of what will happen with David Johnson and Kenyan Drake, here are five options for Arizona in 2020, starting with the most obvious:

Kenyan Drake

The obvious choice, should they find a way to deal away David Johnson and should he not cost an excessive amount of money, would be Drake. 643 yards rushing and 171 receiving in eight games would be tricky to replace, but not impossible should someone outbid the Cardinals. If that is the case, they could look to four other names.

[protected-iframe id=”74c89baf5df8861f45d142d0fbf6fc3c-112738498-106269283″ info=”https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/22400501/download.mp3″ ]

Pages: 12345

Studs and duds from 49ers tough loss to Atlanta

Who was good and who wasn’t in the 49ers’ loss to the Falcons?

The good news coming out of Sunday is the 49ers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013. The bad news is that with their loss against the Falcons, the 49ers dropped to the No. 5 seed in the NFC, going from home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a first-round bye, to a road game in the wild card round.

The 49ers were missing several key pieces on defense and it showed, especially late in the game. Here are the studs and duds from their upset 29-22 loss to Atlanta:

Stud: TE George Kittle

Kittle followed his game-winning play last week with a monster performance. He posted a career-high 13 receptions for 134 yards. The 134 receiving yards accounted for 67 percent of Jimmy Garoppolo’s 200 passing yards. Garoppolo also targeted the tight end on 17 of his 34 throws. Kittle was the largest part of the 49ers’ offense on Sunday, and without him the game would have been nowhere near as close as it was. The 49ers are used to Kittle being an important piece, but he can’t continue as their lone receiving threat if they’re going to make a run in the postseason.

Pages: 1234567

Cameron Jordan credits Jimmy Garoppolo and ‘the 15 running backs’ for 49ers’ success

New Orleans Saints DE Cameron Jordan acknowledged that his defense didn’t do enough to slow down the dangerous San Francisco 49ers offense.

[jwplayer CfSwUW4z-ThvAeFxT]

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan wasn’t pleased by his unit’s effort in their defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, to say the least. Problems plagued them throughout the afternoon; whether his defensive line wasn’t putting pressure on 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo or his teammates in the secondary were giving up too much ground to the San Francisco receivers, New Orleans just wasn’t able to play complimentary football in the 48-46 loss.

“It’s something that we have to deal with,” Jordan said during his postgame media availability. “They (San Francisco) had over 40 points on the board. That is on the defense. When you have an offense rolling the way that they were, with the ebbs and flow of the game, this is something that we have to be able to go back to what we know.”

Jordan pointed to the ease with which San Francisco picked up yards on the ground as one weakness that stuck with him: “You’ve got to be able to stop that run. At the end of the day, they ended up with over a buck-fifty (150 yards rushing) on the ground. Whether that’s Jimmy (Garoppolo) scrambling, whether that’s the 15 running backs that they have in the backfield, it’s something that we knew coming in that we were going to have to stop.”

The 49ers feature one of the league’s deepest running back corps; Raheem Mostert (608 rushing yards), Matt Breida (596), and Tevin Coleman (460) have each taken turns leading the team in making big gains on the ground, and they combined for 129 rushing yards against the Saints on Sunday. As Jordan himself said, allowing that kind of productivity just isn’t good enough. That he and his teammates knew it and still weren’t able to do much about it is disquieting.

This one stings, and it’s going to haunt the Saints for a while. And Jordan is acutely aware of the role the unit he leads played in this loss, summing it up as, “At the end of the day, we didn’t do enough to get a win.”

That’s tough medicine to swallow, but it’s what the Saints need to hear right now. They can’t continue wasting the opportunities they’re given with Drew Brees, a Hall of Fame-bound quarterback, at the helm. Having leaders like Jordan in the room will help keep everyone accountable and optimistic, and that’s something fans can feel confident about. With the immediate 24 hours from this loss behind them, rest assured that Jordan and his teammates are dialing into their next opponent.

[vertical-gallery id=24148]