There's been some positive buzz on 49ers RB Trey Sermon this month, but insider Matt Maiocco believes he's on the roster bubble. "If Sermon were not a third-round pick a year ago, there probably would not be much of a conversation about his status," Maiocco writes. He has RBs Elijah Mitchell, Ty Davis-Price and Jeff Wilson as locks to make the team, with Sermon, JaMycal Hasty and Jordan Mason fighting for the final spot. There's no clear-cut handcuff to Mitchell, but Davis-Price and Wilson are better last-round fliers than Sermon.
49ers RB Trey Sermon is dealing with an ankle injury, per HC Kyle Shanahan. The issue popped up in practice on Thursday. It must be minor, though, as Sermon rushed 5 times (for 8 yards) in a preseason game on Saturday.
The 49ers started RB Trey Sermon in the backfield in Saturday's 2nd preseason game against the Vikings, but 2 other RBs also saw touches on the team's 1st drive. San Francisco sat Elijah Mitchell and Jeff Wilson Jr., along with QB Trey Lance and some other starters. Sermon led the RBs who did play, but JaMycal Hasty and Tyrion Davis-Price joined him for 1 carry apiece amid the team's 4-play 1st drive. Sermon was the only RB to garner touches over the next 2 drives and finished the 1st half with 5 carries and 2 targets. vs. 2 total opportunities for each of his teammates. None generated much yardage in that span. Even if Sermon enters the season ahead of Davis-Price and Hasty on the depth chart, he might still sit 3rd behind Mitchell and Wilson in touch distribution. The primary takeaway here should probably be that this remains a crowded backfield.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell has a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out of the entire preseason, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. "Mitchell is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season," Schefter adds. It's still disconcerting news, though, on a player that dealt with a bunch of different injuries as a rookie last year (although he had no hamstring trouble). We'll see when Mitchell is able to get back on the field. RB Trey Sermon drew the start in Friday night's preseason opener.
Niners HC Kyle Shanahan sounds like he's happy with how RBs Trey Sermon and Jeff Wilson Jr. have performed in training camp so far. "Trey Sermon's come back and he's doing a great job and has improved on so many things from last year," Shanahan told Sirius XM this week. "Jeff Wilson's the healthiest he's been since 2020." Shanahan also highlighted RBs JaMycal Hasty and Jordan Mason just after that, and the whole answer followed a question on the importance of adding Tyrion Davis-Price. The primary takeaway is that Shanahan seems pleased with the depth of this year's backfield, which we expect to be led again by Elijah Mitchell. Don't forget Sermon and Wilson in the final rounds of deep fantasy football drafts, though.
NBC Bay Area's Matt Maiocco says 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan "appears determined to deploy more of a backs-by-committee approach" this season. That would obviously hurt the touch count for RB Elijah Mitchell, who averaged 18.8 carries per game as a rookie. He also missed 6 games with multiple injuries, though, and needed a knee "clean-up" after the season. San Francisco added RB Tyrion Davis-Price in Round 3 of the NFL Draft and get Jeff Wilson Jr. back to full health after he basically lost 2020 to a meniscus tear. Trey Sermon and JaMycal Hasty also remain but will likely need to fight their way into contention for touches. Mitchell is going RB24 in FFPC drafting and RB23 on Underdog right now. That's not a terrible range, but we're not excited about his 2022 outlook -- especially in full-PPR formats.
Per beat writer Cam Inman, new 49ers RB coach Anthony Lynn “is believed to be high” on Trey Sermon. The 2nd-year RB handled only 41 attempts as a rookie and watched Elijah Mitchell — drafted 3 rounds later — lead the team in rushing. A former HC, Lynn brings a wealth of experience following stops with 8 different organizations. Only 23, Sermon will look to carve out a role alongside Mitchell, Jeff Wilson and rookie 3rd-rounder Tyrion Davis-Price.
The 49ers held RB Elijah Mitchell out of the offseason program following a "clean-up" knee procedure. While an exact date is unknown, Mitchell underwent the procedure sometime in early 2022. Per team insider Matt Barrows, Mitchell is “expected” to return for training camp. Frankly, it’d be a major surprise if he’s not on the field for day 1. But we’ll keep a close eye on the 2nd-year back who’s fresh off posting 207-963-5 in 11 games (10 starts). He'll be pushed for touches by Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon and rookie 3rd-rounder Tyrion Davis-Price.
Beat writer Eric Branch believes the 49ers could "hand off even more this season while easing in Trey Lance.” Last year, San Francisco ranked 6th in rush attempts (29.3 per game). Under HC Kyle Shanahan, the team’s ranked top-14 in rushes in 4 straight seasons. The 49ers were reportedly sold on Tyrion Davis-Price’s “size, physicality and aggressiveness,” per Branch. The rookie will need to earn a role this summer. But Elijah Mitchell’s durability concerns and a lost 2021 from Trey Sermon shows there’s a path to year 1 snaps for TDP.
The 49ers selected LSU RB Tyrion Davis-Price in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. The 6'0, 219-pounder ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the Combine, giving him an 89th-percentile speed score among NFL RBs. He turned that into just 4.6 yards per rush across 3 seasons with the Tigers, though. Davis-Price took over the backfield in 2021, carrying 211 times for 1,003 yards and 6 TDs. He added just 10 catches, though that number did lead LSU RBs. San Francisco selected him in the same round it chose RB Trey Sermon a year ago. We'll see about the planned role for Davis-Price in his rookie season.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell (finger) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Jaguars. With RB JaMycal Hasty (ankle) also out, Jeff Wilson, Kyle Juszczyk and Trey Sermon will handle backfield duties. Wilson should see the majority of the work and is a solid RB2 play. WR Deebo Samuel could also see a handful of carries again.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell (finger) is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Jaguars. So much for that early-week optimism after Mitchell’s Tuesday finger surgery. RB JaMycal Hasty (ankle) is out for Week 11, leaving San Francisco with RBs Jeff Wilson and Trey Sermon. Sermon might actually get on the field for the first time since Week 5, but Wilson should operate as the clear lead back. He’s a RB2 with upside.
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