49ers’ Elijah Mitchell placed on season-ending IR; What the team has at RB behind Christian McCaffrey

The San Francisco 49ers will have a new backup running back behind Christian McCaffrey.

As part of their series of moves to reduce the roster from 90 players to 53, the Niners placed Elijah Mitchell on injured reserve. They did not designate him to return, meaning he will be out for the season unless he and the team reach an injury settlement and he is waived and later re-signed.

Mitchell was San Francisco’s starter before the team traded for McCaffrey during the 2022 season. He suddenly burst into the spotlight in 2021, replacing the injured Raheem Mostert and emerging as the Niners’ No. 1 back. He rushed 207 times for 963 yards and five touchdowns that season and enters 2022 as the lead back.

He retained his role even after the McCaffrey deal, spelling McCaffrey and working for short-yardage and the occasional goal-line touch. But he has consistently struggled to stay healthy during his NFL career. He missed six games due to injury in both 2021 and 2023 and 12 in 2022. In the two seasons since his debut, he has only 120 total carries, though his 4.7 yards-per-carry average matches the average he posted during his rookie year.

With Mitchell out, the Niners will have third-year former undrafted free agent Jordan Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo behind McCaffrey. Mason will likely serve as the primary backup and fill the role previously played by Mitchell. Given McCaffrey’s age and injury history, he could very quickly become a key player for San Francisco’s offense.