49ers roster: Predicting running back depth chart with Wayne Gallman

The 49ers added running back Wayne Gallman in NFL free agency, meaning there will be some shakeups for the team’s 2021 depth chart.

The San Francisco 49ers were likely going to make some changes to their running back room this offseason, particularly in light of losing two veterans, Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon, to NFL free agency not long ago.

While there’s still room for some moves to be made, one of the transactions the Niners engineered was to bring in former New York Giants running back Wayne Gallman on a one-year deal, officially announced on the team’s website last Wednesday.

The move paralleled another Wednesday transaction, as San Francisco also inked free-agent defensive end Arden Key to a one-year deal. But while Key is little more than a low-risk depth signing who might not make the 53-man roster, Gallman figures to play a vital role in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s running back depth chart.

Injuries forced Shanahan to deploy a large number of running backs last season. And with his offense already being one focusing on the run first, getting a player like Gallman who admirably filled in for then-injured Giants star running back Saquon Barkley, averaging 4.6 yards per carry and totaling 682 yards and six touchdowns in the process, was a wise move.

At the same time, though, Gallman’s addition shakes up what we’ve already assumed about the 49ers running back depth chart. A new body does help guard against injury attrition, but it could also potentially take away touches from some of the other tailbacks on the roster.

And potentially push someone off the roster entirely, too.

First, let’s look at how the Niners halfback room looks right now with Gallman in the fray.