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The San Francisco 49ers have huge problems at the running back position.
After last week's win against the Philadelphia Eagles, the 49ers ended the game without any healthy running backs.
Elijah Mitchell, JaMycal Hasty, and Trey Sermon all left the game with injuries before the end of the game. The other running back on the 49ers roster is Raheem Mostert. The team has already ruled him out for the season due to knee surgery.
Elijah Mitchell
49ers' Sixth-round 194th pick Elijah Mitchell left the game with a shoulder injury and did not participate in practice on Wednesday.
Some sources say he is out for the next game against the Green Bay Packers, while others affirm his status as questionable for the game.
JaMycal Hasty
JaMycal Hasty left the game against the Eagles with an ankle injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan explained that he has a high ankle sprain and that the injury will keep him out for a while.
Trey Sermon
The 49ers selected Trey Sermon in the third round with the 88th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He left Sunday's game with a concussion.
Concussions are tricky injuries. THe NFL may clear a player after a day, or it may take weeks before the player can see the field again.
Sermon had limited participation in Wednesday's practice, which may indicate he is on the right track to play against the Packers.
49ers looking for players
If the worst happens, the 49ers will face the Packers with no RBs, which would be catastrophic for Shanahan's team. Shanahan likes to rely heavily on the run game, so having no running backs would seriously jeopardize everything Shanahan tries to do offensively.
The 49ers are so desperately looking for a running back that according to Adam Schefter, the team talked with Duke Johnson (played the Houston Texans last year), Lamar Miller (played only one game last year for the Chicago Bears), and TJ Yeldon (played three games for the Buffalo Bills in 2020).
Head coach Kyle Shanahan even entertained the possibility of bringing back longtime 49ers running back Frank Gore.
"I think I would never put anything past Frank. I know if you probably give him a little heads up and some notice, he'll always be ready to work and help a team. I thought it was a little early for that. Our guys still have a chance of playing this week. So, we looked at it as an opportunity with not having 53 on our roster to try to steal someone off someone else's practice squad, which we did. And then try to add a practice squad guy, which we did with [RB] Chris [Thompson]. So, we've never fully ruled that out. I don't know exactly where he is right now, but I've got a number of people in here who have a relationship with him. If that time ever comes that we need to do that and he wants to do it, then I would never rule it out."
Depth at the running back position
Today, it is almost impossible to predict the 49ers' depth at running back for Sunday's game vs. the Packers, but particularly at running back. With so many injuries, only time will tell who gets the starting and backup nods at running back.
