Jordan Mason of the San Francisco 49ers exited Thursday night’s game due to an injury. With Christian McCaffrey unavailable, Mason had emerged as one of the top running backs in the NFL.
The 49ers faced uncertainty regarding their depth chart’s third running back during the game against the Seattle Seahawks. Mason had a strong start but was injured after being tackled, grabbing at his shoulder. He received attention from athletic trainers before heading to the locker room, where he was listed as questionable to return due to the shoulder injury.
Fortunately, Mason returned for the second half but only managed one carry before he was seen stretching his injured arm on the sideline. Isaac Guerendo filled in for him, and Patrick Taylor Jr. also took over during the first drive of the second half. Mason did not return for the remainder of the third quarter.
Reports suggest that Mason may have suffered an AC joint sprain, though the injury is not believed to be serious. Additional testing is scheduled for Friday.
Mason’s injury raised concerns for the 49ers since they were already without McCaffrey, and not many teams possess a reliable third-string running back. Guerendo, a rookie and fourth-round pick, was next in line but had only 41 career rushing yards prior to the game. Taylor, who had not carried the ball at all this season, also saw playing time. While Deebo Samuel Sr. can take snaps at running back, the 49ers prefer not to use him in that capacity regularly.
Despite missing McCaffrey, Mason had filled a significant portion of his role, ranking second in the NFL in rushing yards, trailing only Derrick Henry after five weeks, with 536 yards to his name.
McCaffrey has missed all games this season due to a calf/Achilles injury, but he is expected to return at some point. San Francisco will hope that Mason’s injury does not create complications before McCaffrey is able to come back.