Ex-49ers running back (and member of Kyle Shanahan's doghouse) is a free agent

The San Francisco 49ers appear fairly set at the running back position going into next season, but an old friend is available in free agency.

Running back Matt Breida, who went from a solid young running back to a member of head coach Kyle Shanahan's doghouse, is a free agent.

Last season, Breida was a member of the New York Giants where he had a less than stellar season, gaining 151 yards on less than 3 yards per carry.

Ex-49ers RB Matt Breida is available in free agency

The Niners signed Breida as an undrafted free agent in 2017 during the first year Shanahan was head coach. Breida was a solid signing as he played quite a bit in his first two seasons and showed some impressive speed with San Francisco, including being recorded by Next Gen Stats as the fastest ball-carrier in the league back in 2018 and 2019.

In 2018, a year that saw many 49ers players injured, Breida saw a lot of playing time. He picked up over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and had five total touchdowns.

However, 2019 is when Breida began to fall more out of favor with the 49ers. He went into the season as a sort of co-starter alongside Tevin Coleman due to the continued injury troubles for Jerick McKinnon.

Late in the season, though, Raheem Mostert began to emerge as the starting running back which meant less and less playing time for Breida. Plus, a two-fumble performance later in the season in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons. It may have been that game that sealed Breida's fate as he didn't play much for the rest of the season and was off to the Miami Dolphins the following offseason.

It may not be fair to say that Breida was in Shanahan's proverbial "doghouse," which is more of a media creation than based on anything Shanahan has said. But we know that Shanahan is not shy about benching a player who fumbles or a wide receiver who is underperforming.

Breida's market is unclear as there are many other free-agent running backs available with a better pedigree than him. He has had decent years since his time with the Niners, but nothing that jumps off the page. It is even possible that Breida may retire if he finds there are no takers in free agency.

Breida had ups and downs with the Niners, but unfrotunately it was his fumbling and the emergence of other running options that brought an end to his time in San Francisco.

San Fran has a much better RB than Breida right now and you can celebrate these good times with an instant bonus at DraftKings. You'll instantly win $150 in bonus bets if you sign up, deposit $10 or more and then bet $5 or more. Sign up with DraftKings with this link today!

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