49ers vs. Vikings preseason: 5 key points of emphasis for San Francisco
By Peter Panacy
49ers point of emphasis vs. Vikings No. 4: Let running backs determine their roles
Kyle Shanahan has a perennial tradition of letting his running backs define what roles they’ll have during the regular season.
No reason to change that now, especially with six tailbacks — Elijah Mitchell, Trey Sermon, Tyrion Davis-Price, JaMycal Hasty, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Jordan Mason — looking to both secure a spot on the 53-man roster and establish themselves in a crucial role.
A few notes on this, however.
Mitchell has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, and San Francisco likely won’t deploy him until the regular season anyway in light of his injury history a year ago. More recently, Sermon suffered what appeared to be a foot injury during joint practices with Minnesota, too. And while that might not directly endanger his roster chances, Sermon will want to be in a spot where he can perform better than the 167 rush yards he saw his rookie season.
If neither player is healthy for Saturday, though, the game still presents an opportunity for the remaining foursome of Davis-Price, Hasty, Wilson and Mason to showcase their value.
As a group, the 49ers averaged 3.6 yards per carry on 32 rush attempts in Week 1 of the preseason behind a makeshift offensive line, yet whoever winds up standing out among a crowded backfield might be the player to watch leading into final roster cuts.