After not seeing a snap of regular season action in either of his first two years with the 49ers, running back Jerick McKinnon was rumored as a potential cap casualty a few months ago. But in March, he agreed to a pay cut to stay with the club, and now that San Francisco has traded Matt Breida to the Dolphins, McKinnon once again has a good opportunity to be a major contributor in the Niners’ offense.
It appears as if 2019 breakout performer Raheem Mostert will head up the team’s RB depth chart, with Tevin Coleman and Jeff Wilson also in the mix. But McKinnon’s abilities as a receiver out of the backfield and his precise route-running — which prompted head coach Kyle Shanahan to push for him in the 2018 offseason — would be a welcome addition to the 49ers’ attack, and the team is cautiously optimistic that he can finally make an impact.
“We’re pulling for Jerick and it would be huge for us because we had a clear vision of what he could bring to us,” GM John Lynch recently said on the 49ers Insider Podcast (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). “We thought he’d be excellent in terms of (being a receiver) — really, a tough guy to match up with in space. And our (coaches) are really good about putting our guys in space. So that would be tremendous for us.”
McKinnon tore his ACL prior to the 2018 season, and Maiocco says McKinnon was shelved for the 2019 campaign because the ACL graft did not fill back in as hoped. Instead, “Jet” needed to go under the knife again to pack the ACL graft with bone marrow from his hip.
The 28-year-old is reportedly making good progress in his recovery, but Lynch is tempering his expectations for the time being.
“I think there’s always that critical last juncture of a rehab where you go from running straight ahead and even trying to simulate some of the cutting that goes on at (running back), specifically,” Lynch said. “Then, you go play football and it becomes much more reactive. And that’s where he struggled. He’s continued to put in work. There are some positive signs that we’re on a better track.”
Of course, no one knows if training camp will unfold as normal this year, so we may not be able to accurately gauge McKinnon’s status until closer to September. But if he can perform anywhere close to the level the 49ers were hoping for when they signed him to a lucrative free agent deal, the defending NFC champs will be that much harder to beat.
shannon and co are really banking on the jet to one day be healthy. instead of just cutting it lost . since the man hasnt been healthy in two years.
He’s in the last year of his deal, restructured his contract, and is making 910k this year with a 3 mill cap hit and they can cut him at any point with no dead money. Idk how you think they’re banking on him to be healthy.
It’s a low risk contract at this point where McKinnon has plenty of reasons to perform cause he will be looking for a new contract after the season. If he doesn’t it’s not like SF is stuck with him and he’s affecting their cap space going forward.
Plus they’re stacked at the position. If McKinnon sucks they still have Mostert, Coleman, and Wilson
Top 5 49ers Rb’s of all time:
1. John Henry Johnson
2. Franklin Gore
3. Roger Craig
4. Rickey Waters
5. Charlie Garner
I bet a staggering amount of Americans could be fooled into believing that’s a top 5 US Presidents list.
They would say #3 is James Bond
You say American, Burt you mean liberals.
Shut up.
@Dodgethis, yeah because it was liberals who were stupid enough to vote a sociopathic conman and reality tv star president.
+1
No Garrison Hearst? He easily replaces Rickey Waters or John Henry Johnson. Kevin Barlow also had some bigger numbers than those two. Think Gore’s gotta be #1
I know he wasn’t with them that long but Wendell Tyler was fun to watch
When did Garrison Hearst make it to the Hall of Fame? Is his busy next to John Henry Johnson’s? I didn’t see him there. I did see JHJ though
Jhj spent majority of his career as a steeler….not a 49er
Jhj 228 carries 1051 yards 12 TDs as a 49er in 3 years
Hearst 1189 carries 5535 yards and 26tds as a 49er in 5 years.
Other guys were more deserving of your list which seems to not take into account how long they spent with the organization. Oj Simpson spent 2 seasons in SF so how is he not on your list then if we are saying HOF and played for 49ers at some point is the criteria?
Hugh Mcelhenny, Delvin Williams had a better 3 year run with the 49ers than Jhj did, Johnny Stryzkalski, JD Smith, JOE PERRY the 2nd greatest RB behind gore in 49ers history.
Damn hOsE you are good. Great post.
Btw, Wendell Tyler? Not saying he should be in top 5 but if that name is not presidential than what name is? And Garrison Hearst should be in top 5 AND is also presidential
Excellent point, hOsE. Hearst was basically an after thought in Arizona(please correct me if I’m wrong with the team), then blossomed as a 49er. I also hear Joe Perry was a “decent” (Hall of Fame)RB.
49ers drafted a RB from Georgia in 1989, Keith Henderson, who was always injured. One year he played 14 games and had 500+ yards, 137 attempts which culminates to 4+ yards per carry. Also had 30 receptions for 300 yards.
The team also were lucky to have some really good fullbacks: Rachmaninov, Edwards, Bar None, Juice, Beasley, etc…
Rachmaninov? Rathman, damn it.
Gore is their all-time leading rusher isn’t he? hard to imagine he could be ranked anywhere other than #1
Hey Rookie….You left out Joe Perry who should be #1
Joe Perry was a system RB.
Gimme a break Modesto. That is so lame
I truly don’t think he would even play
McKinnon will be cut and the 49ers will swallow the beating thy took on that deal.
Jerick – you should have stayed in Minnesota.
I don’t think his knee cared what city he played in
DTD, you’re wasting your time responding to nitwit..er..I meant nentwig
Bobby Clarke: “How can you trust an athlete in a contact sport that has all his teeth?”.