The San Francisco 49ers obviously know who will be atop the running back depth chart next season, but who will back up Christian McCaffrey is a bit more complicated.
Maybe a reunion with a former Niners rusher could be in the cards.
Raheem Mostert is set to be a free agent this offseason. He spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, and while the 34-year-old rusher is well past his peak, maybe he's a veteran depth option whom San Francisco would have some interest in.
Fans will remember how Mostert was truly explosive at his peak with the 49ers. His epic performance back in 2020 in the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers will be the stuff of legend, as he ran for 220 yards and four touchdowns, limiting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to just eight pass attempts in that game.
Unfortunately, injuries prevented Mostert from being a consistent producer in San Francisco, but he wound up with head coach Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins and had some great success there. In 2023, he made the Pro Bowl as he rushed for over 1,000 yards and had 18 rushing touchdowns on the year.
Mostert had a steep drop off the following season, as he ran for just 278 yards on 85 carries across 13 games. Then, last season with the Raiders, he had 104 yards on 22 attempts across 12 games.
The well-traveled tailback is going to be 34 years old soon, and that is almost never the age for a running back to have a career renaissance. But at this point, all Mostert can be is a respectable depth option.
That’s why a team like the 49ers, with one of the best running backs in the league in McCaffrey, could be a logical landing spot.
McCaffrey is going to get the vast majority of touches, so the Niners do not need a super expensive backup. Brian Robinson filled the role adequately last year, but he is set to be a free agent, so there's a chance he could depart for another team.
San Francisco could opt to go with Jordan James as McCaffrey’s primary backup. The Niners drafted him in the fifth round of the NFL Draft last season and are clearly high on him, but his only career carries came in garbage time against the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs.
Having Mostert as something of a an insurance policy may be smart, just so at least the Niners have an experienced back behind McCaffrey on the depth chart. There was even some thought they could reunite with him last offseason. Mostert knows head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense and would be awfully cheap, so maybe a reunion could be in the cards.