5 former 49ers free agents who could be brought back in 2023
By Peter Panacy
Former 49ers free-agent No. 2: Running back Jeff Wilson Jr.
It makes perfect sense why running back Jeff Wilson Jr. requested a trade not long after the 49ers traded for All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey.
After all, up to that point, Wilson had been the bell cow for the Niners’ ground attack. With McCaffrey in the fold, getting him over to the Miami Dolphins would not only garner some extra NFL Draft capital for San Francisco, but it would do right by Wilson in getting him a fresh start elsewhere.
Yet Wilson’s potential return to the 49ers has some merit, too.
For starters, the depth behind McCaffrey has some serious doubts. No. 2 running back Elijah Mitchell is an oft-injured player, while 2022 undrafted rookie Jordan Mason was scantly used much at all.
Tack on the almost yearlong absence of the Niners’ third-round draftee from 2022, Tyrion Davis-Price, and Wilson returning almost sounds like a good idea.