49ers Raheem Mostert announces season-ending surgery

After being put on the injury list, San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert tweeted he’s headed for season-ending surgery. 

A day after the San Francisco 49ers announced cornerback Jason Verrett would be out all season with an ACL tear, running back Raheem Mostert brought even more bad news.

In a tweet, Mostert said he consulted with “multiple doctors” and decided to have season-ending knee surgery.

https://twitter.com/rmos_8ball/status/1437852104773619713?s=21

It’s truly brutal news for Mostert who was hoping to bounce back after an injury-ridden 2020. But after two carries in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, his season has come to an abrupt end.

In Mostert’s absence, the backfield picked up where he left off. Rookie running back Elijah Mitchell took over, rushing for 104 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. The 49ers will certainly be looking for Mitchell to do much of the same against Philadelphia.

How 49ers get by without Raheem Mostert

But San Francisco has been known to use the “next man up” approach when it’s come to their running backs. Clearly, Mitchell can handle the main duties, but if head coach Kyle Shanahan wants to mix it up, he can toss rookie running back Trey Sermon into the fold.

Sermon was a healthy scratch against Detroit. According to Shanahan, it was due to Mitchell and JaMycal Hasty showing a bit more in training camp. Now Sermon, who the 49ers traded up for in the 2021 NFL Draft, will get his shot to prove he was worth grabbing.

Since the Mostert news came out, general manager John Lynch has been busy. San Francisco signed former Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson:

In 34 career games, all with Detroit, Johnson has 1,225 yards on the ground and eight touchdowns. His best season was his rookie year when he collected 641 yards on 118 attempts.

He’s also a threat in the air, which would fit the Shanahan scheme rather well. Johnson brought in 61 career catches for 527 yards and three touchdowns. With the amount of check downs 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo does, having a running back who’s basically another receiver will just raise the offense to another level.

In the grand scheme of things, the 49ers aren’t in major trouble with Mostert missing the year. They always have the ability to find diamonds in the rough, prime example Mitchell.

However, the news is still extremely tough to swallow. Mostert is a class act and puts in lots of work on the field and in the community.

Here’s to hoping for a successful surgery and recovery for Raheem Mostert. And maybe we can pencil him in for 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.