49ers offensive grades from first half of 2022 NFL season
By Peter Panacy
49ers 1st-half offensive grades: Running back
C. . Running Back. San Francisco 49ers.
Not unlike its quarterbacking situation, San Francisco also saw a massive shakeup early in the year when the team watched No. 1 running back Elijah Mitchell go down with a sprained MCL in Week 1, and he’s been on injured reserve ever since.
The 49ers have managed to get some solid production from one of their reserve running backs, Jeff Wilson Jr., who has reclaimed his crown of being one of the more underrated Niners offensive contributors in recent seasons before being jettisoned to the Miami Dolphins at the 2022 trade deadline.
That said, and even including San Francisco’s blockbuster acquisition of Christian McCaffrey, a run-first 49ers offense is still very much “mid,” currently tied for the 14th most rush yards after Week 8 (956) and also tied at 17th with a very mid-like 4.5 yards per carry.
Granted, there have been some challenges with the 49ers’ offensive line in support of the run game, and with plenty of teams stacking the box against the Niners and daring them to throw, it’s going to be difficult to garner solid rush efforts each and every time.
McCaffrey certainly changes things, though, and it wouldn’t be shocking whatsoever to see San Francisco’s ground efforts improve significantly in the second half of 2022, not only because of McCaffrey’s presence but the return of a fully healthy Mitchell, too.