Elijah Mitchell’s time with the 49ers may be coming to an end following his latest setback.
SANTA CLARA, California — After returning to practice last week after a hamstring injury, running back Elijah Mitchell of the San Francisco 49ers faced a significant obstacle on Tuesday.
In a somewhat surprising move, the 49ers placed Mitchell on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon and did not use one of their designations for his return, effectively sidelining him for the remainder of the season.
A source informed ESPN on Tuesday night that Mitchell sustained another serious hamstring injury earlier this week. This injury reportedly occurred during team practice on Monday when Mitchell was dressed and participated in individual drills but did not take part in any team periods.
Mitchell’s injury is the latest in a series of ailments that have hindered his progress as one of San Francisco’s top running options, and it could mean he has played his last game for the team.
This season marks the final year of Mitchell’s rookie contract, making him an unrestricted free agent after the season. Throughout his previous three seasons, Mitchell has appeared in just 27 games, starting only 12 due to various injuries, including issues with his ribs, fingers, knee, and shoulder.
As a rookie in 2021, Mitchell burst onto the scene, rushing for 963 yards and five touchdowns over 11 games after stepping in for an injured Raheem Mostert as the starter. However, he participated in just five games in 2022 as the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey, who has taken on the majority of the carries since joining the team last October.
During this year’s training camp, Mitchell was competing with Jordan Mason to be McCaffrey’s primary backup before suffering his initial hamstring injury in early August.
In his previous two seasons, Mason averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 83 attempts with four touchdowns. Mason’s improved versatility had already positioned him to take over as McCaffrey’s main backup, but Mitchell’s inability to stay on the field has made that competition uncertain.
“He’s been such a good running back since he got here,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said of Mason after the team’s final preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday. “I think his durability has improved. I think his overall game, especially in special teams, has gotten a lot better.
“He’s been running the ball well for a while. He’s also solid in the pass game.”
Mason has served as the 49ers’ primary running back for most of training camp while McCaffrey has been dealing with a calf injury. In addition to McCaffrey and Mason, the 49ers also kept two other running backs, Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookie Isaac Guerendo, on their initial 53-man roster.