49ers: 3 big things from preseason Week 3 loss to the Colts

Running Back Alfred Morris should make the 49ers roster

This might seem like an overreaction to what he managed to do during the first half of the game, but it isn’t. Alfred Morris is a perfect fit at running back for San Francisco.

San Francisco 49ers

It doesn’t hurt that Morris was phenomenal in his appearance. He looked every bit like the workhorse he was back in Washington with the Redskins. He had 17 rushes for 84 yards, and more importantly, he was fluid in the 49ers offense. He made smart decisions and always fell forward on contact.

But none of this would matter if Morris was the same player as staring RB Jerick McKinnon and primary backup Matt Breida. Even though both McKinnon and Breida both are dealing with injuries, there would be little justification to have three similar runners.

Luckily for the 49ers, Morris is the exact runner they need, a hard-nosed physical runner who’s great between the tackles. He would give a different dimension to this  run game, which is exactly what they need.

And just because Morris would make the roster doesn’t mean that Raheem Mostert, top special-teams gunner, would have to be cut. The 49ers also have a roster crunch at the wide receiver position with Richie James Jr.’s emergence, so keeping Mostert would allow them to cut WR Aaron Burbridge and keep James Jr.