3 moves 49ers will regret making this offseason
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers Trading Matt Breida to the Miami Dolphins
It seemed like a good idea at the time, particularly considering his dramatic fall-off in production late in the season and into the playoffs. But the Niners may end up regretting trading running back Matt Breida to the Miami Dolphins in the middle of the NFL Draft now.
Granted, Breida fell out of favor with Kyle Shanahan late in the season, paralleled by fellow runner Raheem Mostert becoming a household name.
And while it’s difficult to reemerge out of Shanahan’s proverbial “doghouse,” Mostert now indicating he wants a trade after his camp and the 49ers front office failed to reach a new contract settlement puts San Francisco’s offensive backfield into a bit of limbo.
The Niners don’t necessarily have to do anything. But Mostert could hold out, even though it would cost him an accrued season, leaving tailbacks Jerick McKinnon, Tevin Coleman and Jeff Wilson as the only NFL-level ball carriers on the roster.
Breida, the league’s fastest player the last two years, offered a kind of explosiveness neither Coleman nor Wilson possess, and one can figure he would have been an excellent insurance policy in case the situation with Mostert develops into something completely unfavorable.
This could still end up working in San Francisco’s favor, of course. But for now, one can wonder if moving Breida was such a good idea in the long run.