The San Francisco 49ers lost their backup running back from last season as Brian Robinson Jr. signed with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
Now, the Niners should bring in a perfect backup who is just waiting to be signed in Austin Ekeler.
Once again, the 49ers have claimed that they are hoping to limit the number of touches that star running back Christian McCaffrey gets. They said the same thing last season, and their acquisition of Robinson via trade seemed to suggest San Francisco was serious about getting some proven depth behind McCaffrey.
Yet, McCaffrey still got the lion’s share of the snaps at running back. While he remained remarkably durable last season, using him that much again seems like it would be a recipe for disaster.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan shed some light on why the 49ers used McCaffrey so much last season and why he was reluctant to take him off the field at the recent NFL league meeting in Arizona.
"When we play against certain coverages, and there’s a linebacker on Christian, that’s going to be a problem," Shanahan described. "And if he pulls coverage, that’s going to help everyone else."
Basically, Shanahan’s point is that McCaffrey is such a potent force as a pass catcher that to have him off the field at all limited what the head coach was able to call. Robinson was known more as a between-the-tackles bruiser, not a guy who was a threat catching the ball.
Naturally, that means the Niners should try to get a backup who is a threat catching the ball in the backfield.
Look no further than Ekeler.
Austin Ekeler is a perfect CMC backup for 49ers
Ekeler was a great pass-catching running back in his time with the Los Angeles Chargers (he even had 993 receiving yards one season) and has tallied over 4,200 career receiving yards. He's proven that he can give opponents problems as a pesky presence in the backfield.
He’s about to turn age 31 and is coming off an Achilles tear with the Washington Commanders last season, so Ekeler isn't the same speedy back that he used to be.
But, he’s still a veteran whom opposing defenses would have to account for and respect as a pass catcher.
He will probably be pretty cheap, given his injury history and age, so maybe the Niners can snag him and use him in the backfield to see if he can at least keep the other side honest when McCaffrey isn’t on the field.