49ers depth chart: Predicting each running back’s role in 2022
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers revamped their running back room this offseason, meaning there’ll likely be some shakeups on the depth chart heading into 2022.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has a history of letting his running backs essentially define their own roles during training camp entering the regular season.
And Shanahan also has a history of not necessarily carrying over a rusher’s success from the previous season into the next. Case in point, in 2018, former Niners tailback Matt Breida led the offense in rushing before being relegated to the back end of the depth chart a year later in favor of fellow running back Raheem Mostert.
In the wake of the 2022 NFL Draft, San Francisco now holds the following running backs on its 90-man offseason roster:
- Tyrion Davis-Price*
- JaMycal Hasty
- Jordan Mason*
- Elijah Mitchell
- Trey Sermon
- Jeff Wilson Jr.
* denotes rookie
Shanahan may opt to keep five tailbacks on the 53-man roster during the regular season, but the likelihood of retaining only four seems a bit stronger.
With that in mind, let’s comb through each of the projected roles on the depth chart and break down who winds up fulfilling those jobs by the time Week 1 rolls around.
49ers running back room: Practice squad contenders (JaMycal Hasty, Jordan Mason)
The 49ers already have a bit of a logjam here towards the back end of the depth chart, and it’ll certainly be interesting to see who impresses more out of two names in a desperate fight to survive roster cuts, Hasty and Mason.
Hasty, two years immersed in the league now, has had issues fumbling the ball and now boasts three on 85 total touches dating back to when he broke into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
That won’t help his chances much, especially in light of Mason, another UDFA, showcasing some noticeable talent during the team’s offseason workouts thus far.
There might not be room on the 53-man roster for Mason, though, meaning the Niners could be inclined to try stashing him on the practice squad in year one, although that’ll probably push Hasty entirely out of the building if the Niners decide that keeping two running backs on the practice squad is a bit excessive.