September 30th, 2022 at 1:19pm CST by Sam Robinson
As we exit September, trade rumors will become a steady NFL topic. This year’s deadline falls on Nov. 1. That will return cap-space discussions to the forefront. Here is how every team stacks up financially going into October, via Over The Cap.
Cleveland Browns: $35.94MM
Philadelphia Eagles: $10.89MM
Denver Broncos: $10.67MM
Carolina Panthers: $10.47MM
Las Vegas Raiders: $10.35MM
Dallas Cowboys: $9.25MM
Pittsburgh Steelers: $8.64MM
Green Bay Packers: $8.57MM
Indianapolis Colts: $7.97MM
Atlanta Falcons: $7.92MM
New York Jets: $6.97MM
Chicago Bears: $6.84MM
San Francisco 49ers: $6.75MM
Miami Dolphins: $6.51MM
Arizona Cardinals: $6.25MM
Los Angeles Chargers: $5.83MM
New York Giants: $5.49MM
Jacksonville Jaguars: $5.41MM
Los Angeles Rams: $5.38MM
Baltimore Ravens: $4.51MM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $3.87MM
New England Patriots: $3.5MM
Cincinnati Bengals: $3.16MM
New Orleans Saints: $2.86MM
Detroit Lions: $2.64MM
Washington Commanders: $2.58MM
Buffalo Bills: $2.44MM
Tennessee Titans: $2.41MM
Seattle Seahawks: $2.28MM
Kansas City Chiefs: $2.12MM
Houston Texans: $1.64MM
Minnesota Vikings: $1.47MM
The Eagles’ number is certainly far closer to the Vikings’ last-place figure than what the Browns have stockpiled. Cleveland would stand to have room to augment its 2022 roster, via a patient free agent or a trade. That could depend on where Jacoby Brissett has the team stationed going into the Nov. 1 deadline. But the Browns also appear to be preparing for their Deshaun Watson future. Watson’s unprecedented contract spikes from a $9.4MM cap number (2022) to a record-shattering $54.99MM numbers from 2023-26. As that reality awaits, the Browns rolling over cap space to 2023 would be prudent.
With Sterling Shepard‘s ACL tear moving the veteran wide receiver to IR, the Giants will need to both cover that cost ($6.3MM) and add a contract to fill the roster spot. Every team will go through versions of that issue this season, as injuries pile up. The Giants are prepared to eat a significant chunk ofKenny Golladay‘s 2022 base salary ($13MM) to move him, eyeing an escape from his $4.5MM 2023 guarantee. No takers have emerged, though it will be interesting to see if a market for the former Pro Bowler forms once injuries affect more teams’ receiver situations.
Since their Jimmy Garoppolo restructure, the 49ers agreed to a two-year extension withDre Greenlaw. The team is not expected to extend Nick Bosa until 2023, however. The Texans, Falcons, Bears and Eagles all sit north of $60MM in dead money, meaning more than a quarter of their respective cap space is tied to players no longer on the roster. Watson, Matt Ryan and Khalil Mack are responsible for massive dead-money hits on the Houston, Atlanta and Chicago payrolls. Philadelphia still has Alshon Jeffery, Malik Jackson and Brandon Brooks dead money on its cap sheet.
September 28th, 2022 at 3:09pm CST by Sam Robinson
The 49ers are having some bad luck with MCL sprains. An injury that often can sideline players for a period of a few weeks may end up shutting down two San Francisco starters for two months. Azeez Al-Shaair suffered this particular injury Sunday night.
An Al-Shaair IR trip seems a certainty. Kyle Shanahan said the fourth-year linebacker sustained an MCL sprain similar to Elijah Mitchell‘s. The 49ers placed Mitchell on IR after Week 1 and expect their starting running back to be out for approximately eight weeks. Al-Shaair’s setback will remove one of the team’s starting linebackers from the equation for a similar time period.
Al-Shaair went down during the second quarter of the 49ers’ loss to the Broncos. This represents a poorly timed injury for the former UDFA. Al-Shaair, 25, is eligible for unrestricted free agency in March. Once linked to an Al-Shaair/Dre Greenlaweither/or decision regarding an extension, the 49ers have since signed Greenlaw to a two-year deal. With Fred Warner already signed to the position’s second-highest contract, Al-Shaair may need to collect his payday from another team.
Although still a starter, the Florida Atlantic alum has played behind Warner and Greenlaw this season. Al-Shaair ceded the three-down role he held last year back to Greenlaw, whose 2021 injury opened the door to a full-time gig alongside Warner. Al-Shaair started 13 games last season, made 102 tackles, registered two sacks and recovered two fumbles.
The team will turn to Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles at strongside linebacker, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required). A 2020 UDFA out of Arizona, Flannigan-Fowles has made three career starts. The 49ers also have ex-Packers third-rounder Oren Burks on their roster, signing him in free agency this year.
September 26th, 2022 at 3:51pm CST by Adam La Rose
3:51pm: Williams does indeed have a high ankle sprain, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed (Twitter link via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). The swelling will need to go down before a firm timetable can be established, but the 49ers will likely be without their blindside blocker for roughly 4-6 weeks.
9:06am: Trent Williamsexited last night’s game against the Broncos in the third quarter and was unable to return. The team believes they are aware of the specifics of his injury, one which could see him miss time.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated, via NFL.com’s Grant Gordon, that Williams likely suffered a high ankle sprain. The injury occurred on the play during which quarterback Jimmy Garoppolostepped out of the endzone for what turned out to be a game-altering safety. Williams elected not to use a cart to be taken off the field.
The 34-year-old has been relatively healthy during his tenure with the 49ers, which began immediately after he missed the entire 2019 campaign. He has played in 32 regular season contests in the Bay Area, along with all three of the team’s playoff games last year. 2020 saw him continue his elite play, and led to him signing a six-year, $138MM deal the following offseason to stay with the 49ers and become the league’s highest-paid offensive lineman of all time. His performance last season did nothing to suggest the team would come to regret that investment.
In the first two-plus games of this season, the nine-time Pro Bowler has been viewed relatively well by PFF, though his grades fall well short of those he received during the previous two years in particular. Any extended absence would deal a significant blow to San Francisco’s offensive front, one which lost starters Laken Tomlinsonand Alex Mackduring the offseason. The move of 2021 second-rounder Aaron Banksto LG opened up a spot for rookie Spencer Burfordto start at the opposite guard spot, while Jake Brendelascended to the first-team center role to complete the team’s interior o-line transformation.
Filling in for Williams to finish the contest was Jaylon Moore. A fifth-round pick last year, the Western Michigan alum started three of his seven appearances as a rookie, but last night marked his first usage on offense in 2022. He could be in line for a starter’s workload for some time, pending the duration of Williams’ absence.
September 24th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Sam Robinson
The Kyle Shanahan–John Lynch regime has seen some twists and turns alter its quarterback plans. Although quarterback consistency has eluded this duo for much of its six-season run in San Francisco, the plan to circle back toJimmy Garoppolo will keep the 49ers in place as an NFC contender.
QB doors not opened hover over this 49ers era. Whereas Garoppolo has dealt with numerous injuries during his San Francisco stay, Shanahan’s initial plan — a 2018 Kirk Cousinsfree agency addition — probably would have allowed the team better fortune on the health front. The team was also connected to Tom Brady in multiple offseasons, with Lynch shooting his trade-inquiry shot back in 2017 and the Bay Area native being interested in signing with the then-reigning NFC champions in 2020. 49ers ties emerged even during Brady’s brief retirement window.
Shanahan and Lynch went from passing on QB answer in their first draft — one that saw the 49ers trade down from No. 2 to No. 3 and pass on Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson (and Mitch Trubisky, who went second overall) for since-departed defensive lineman Solomon Thomas — before seeing a long-term starter fall into their laps at that year’s trade deadline. That October 2017 trade, which cost the 49ers a second-round pick (No. 43 overall), is still paying dividends five years later.
The Garoppolo era appears near an end, but the 49ers are suddenly all-in again on a player who spent the offseason, training camp and preseason away from the team. Trey Lance‘s season-ending ankle injury dealt an inexperienced prospect a tough blow, but the Week 2 setback — albeit awkwardly — may have bolstered one of the NFL’s top rosters. Garoppolo’s re-emergence figures to stabilize the 49ers, providing them perhaps a considerably elevated floor. (An early-season Lance benching was already being rumored.) Instances in which a contending team loses a QB1 and is viewed as better for it are not exactly common throughout NFL history; this could be one of the few.
This reality nearly fell apart months ago, as the 49ers came close to trading Garoppolo before his value-hijacking March shoulder surgery. The Browns, Rams and Seahawks later loomed as a destinations in the event the 49ers cut him — this saga’s expected endgame in its final weeks. Although the 49ers have said the plan all along was to trade their four-plus-year starter, he always loomed as unusual Lance insurance. The 49ers drafted one of the most atypical quarterback prospects in league history last year, and the Division I-FCS product’s inexperience made going into the season without Garoppolo a tremendous risk. Yet, that appeared the plan. Lynch’s suggestion to approach Garoppolo with a pay-cut proposal ended up preventing one of the NFC favorites from seeing Lance’s injury leave them with an untenable in-house starter option.
While Garoppolo gives Shanahan a safer option to lead a three-All-Pro offense, the 49ers are in one of the weirder places at quarterback in recent memory. Their No. 3 overall pick will have finished his first two seasons with four starts and 102 pass attempts. Those numbers are not unprecedented by any means, but this is obviously a different situation compared to the likes of Jordan Love or busts Johnny Manziel (eight starts through two seasons) and Paxton Lynch (four). Lance, who could be kept through 2025 via the fifth-year option, remains firmly in San Francisco’s plans (indeed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Niners remain fully committed to Lance, who has a four- to six-month recovery timeline). But this rehab year will nix another shot at in-game development. These chances have continually been taken away from the North Dakota State alum.
Entering 2023, Lance will have just season of regular starter work on his post-high school resume. After redshirting in 2018, Lance tore up the FCS level (albeit with that tier’s best program) with 28 touchdown passes and no interceptions and led the Bison to another national championship. The COVID-19 pandemic led most of college football, save for Division I-FBS, to cancel its 2020 seasons (for the fall, at least). After a one-game 2020, Lance declared for the draft. Despite a highlight reel consisting entirely of redshirt-freshman plays, the dual-threat talent managed to follow fellow Bison standout Carson Wentz by becoming a top-three draftee. But Lance suffered a finger injury in 2021, limiting him during a season in which he was not viewed as a Garoppolo threat.
A sought-after QB prospect having thrown 420 passes in five seasons since high school is historically unusual territory for a player still expected to be a long-term NFL starter. Lance’s misfortune comes after an inconsistent preseason, one that helped push the 49ers to solidify a Garoppolo recommitment. A rocky Week 1 start on a waterlogged Soldier Field enhanced the mystery surrounding Lance’s status. A high ceiling may remain, but after four years away from full-time duty, can the 49ers be sure? San Francisco is also now veering toward Green Bay-Love territory; the 49ers will have gotten next to nothing from a first-round QB contract through two years. Though, Garoppolo’s restructure gives the team some flexibility the Packers lack thanks to Aaron Rodgers‘ record-setting $50.3MM-per-year extension.
Fielding an NFC championship-qualifying team with scant contributions from a No. 3 overall pick highlights the 49ers’ roster strength. Last year’s success and this year’s largely Lance-less operation also magnify the franchise’s decision to trade two future first-round picks to move up nine spots for such an unproven commodity. The 49ers have won in spite of their 2021 Lance- (or Mac Jones?)-motivated decision. It is understandable the 49ers dealt into future draft arsenals to land a quarterback upgrade, as Garoppolo (12th- and 13th-place QBR figures in 2019 and ’21, respectively) maxes out as an above-average option. But the team made a luxury pick with a Super Bowl-caliber roster in place.
Lance’s injury also thrusts Garoppolo’s health history back to the forefront. In addition to the shoulder malady sidetracked his trade market, the ninth-year vet played through calf and thumb issues in 2021, went down with a season-ending ankle problem in 2020 and missed most of the ’18 season due to an ACL tear. The 49ers having 2022 Mr. IrrelevantBrock Purdyand practice squad journeyman Kurt Benkert as Garoppolo’s only backups suddenly becomes a concern. Shanahan’s intermittent success with a rookie UDFA (Nick Mullens) notwithstanding, the team turning back to the trade market — this time to supplement Garoppolo — would make sense.
A backup with multiple years of control could be a priority as well. Garoppolo’s 2018 extension expires in March. The 49ers venturing to two NFC title games in three seasons without a high-end quarterback represents an achievement when considering the position’s rise in stature as rule changes have pushed most teams to build around the passing game. The quarterback that drew scrutiny for holding his team back being viewed as a rejuvenation tool is ironic, but the 49ers did well to forge this compromise. It could go down as a seminal compromise.
But little is settled for the team beyond 2022. After Garoppolo makes another push at a Super Bowl championship, his restructure’s no-franchise tag clause would stand to lead him to free agent market unlikely to include many attractive options (Lamar Jackson is not hitting the market, and Year 23 might actually be it for Brady). At that point, the paused Lance era will return to the 49ers’ front burner. Lance’s uncertain trajectory will be appropriate for a team that has seen its QB situation produce a highly unpredictable contender during the Shanahan-Lynch period.
The 49ers have opened up a chunk of cap space this morning. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), left tackle Trent Williams has converted a part of his base contract into a signing bonus.
Specifically, the team took $5.45MM of Williams’ base salary and turned it into a signing bonus. This move ended up saving the front office about $4.36MM against the cap.
Williams joined the 49ers prior to the 2020 campaign, and following a season where he earned Pro Football Focus’ top grade among offensive tackles, San Francisco handed him a whopping six-year, $138.06MM deal, making him the highest-paid OL in NFL history. The contract included more than $55MM in guaranteed money and a $30MM signing bonus.
The veteran started all 15 games for the 49ers in 2021, and he earned his first career first-team All-Pro nod as a result of his performance (Williams earned second-team honors in 2015). He once again graded as PFF’s top offensive tackle, and through two games this season, he current sits 12th on the site’s list among 66 qualifying OTs.
Tampa Bay knew it would be without two of its bigger playmakers in wide receiver Chris Godwin and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks this week. That is no surprise, as Godwin missed last week with a hamstring ailment and Hicks is predicted to miss a month with a foot injury. The Buccaneers were hoping to get back offensive tackle Donovan Smith this week, but he is doubtful to appear this Sunday against the Packers, according to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
Here are a few other Sunday game statuses we heard about today, starting with two top receivers in Green Bay:
The Packers‘ top returning receiver from last year had to miss Week 1 while dealing with an ankle injury. While they got Allen Lazard back last week, he was seen limping at points of the game. Regardless, Lazard “is optimistic about playing” this week versus Tampa Bay, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Packers have been cautious with him in practice this week, but it’s likely been precautionary. On the other hand, quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be without one of his top targets as Sammy Watkinshas been ruled out with a hamstring injury, according to Field Yates of ESPN. Rookie wide receiver Christian Watson is also dealing with hamstring issues but is listed as questionable going into the weekend.
Vikings safety Harrison Smith is expected to miss his first game due to injury since 2016, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Smith did sit out two games last year on the COVID-19/reserve list and took a rest day in the 2019 season finale, but a concussion suffered in Monday night’s loss to the Eagles will likely hold him out against the Lions this week.
Tyler Kroft has been the man for the 49ers at tight end, starting twice to begin the season in place of the injured star, George Kittle. He has never been a strong receiving threat, but his ability to run block has made him a valuable asset to the San Francisco offense. In the team’s Week 2 win over the Seahawks, though, Kroft suffered a sprained MCL. He’s expected “to miss several weeks” because of the knee injury, but, due to new injured reserve rules, the veteran will not be placed on IR, according to David Lombardi of The Athletic. The new rules this year dictate that only eight players can be designated to return from IR, so, even though Kroft will be eligible to return after several weeks, the 49ers are choosing to save their designated to return IR spots for more valuable players who may end up sustaining injuries later on in the season. The timing of Kroft’s injury is not the worst it could possibly be as Kittle is set to return this week from injury. Kittle is mostly known for his receiving ability but is a decent run blocker in his own right and will help to vacate any deficit resulting from Kroft’s absence.
The Lions will be down one of their rotational defensive linemen when they play the Vikings and, according to Justin Rogers of the Detroit News, a recent surgery will hold him out for a while. Defensive lineman John Cominsky is dealing with a wrist injury that required the surgery. Cominsky may not be a household name, but, when he was put on waivers after three years of playing with the Falcons, Cominsky drew the interest of one-fourth of the league, as eight teams were intrigued enough to put in claims on the former Golden Eagle out of Division II Charleston in West Virginia. The Lions were second in the waiver order and were granted the 6-foot-5 lineman, but the Commanders, Colts, Browns, Texans, Cardinals, Vikings, and Bengals all attempted to bring him in. With Cominsky out, Lions head coach Dan Campbell suggested that the starting four defensive linemen will be backed up by the likes of Austin Bryant and undrafted rookie Demetrius Taylor.
September 23rd, 2022 at 3:45pm CST by Sam Robinson
After three practices this week, George Kittle is set to make his season debut Sunday. The All-Pro tight end sustained a groin injury just before the season, and it kept him out two weeks.
Injuries have been a frequent occurrence for Kittle during his second contract, but he will team with Jimmy Garoppolo in a “new”-look 49ers offense Sunday night in Denver. Kyle Shanahan said Friday the sixth-year pass catcher will not have any restrictions heading into the 49ers-Broncos matchup.
Knee, ankle, foot and calf injuries have plagued Kittle as a pro. The calf ailment cost Kittle three games last season, while the foot trouble — a fracture — represented his most significant setback. That break came midway during a 2020 season, costing Kittle eight games, in which Garoppolo and many other 49er starters missed extensive time.
The maladies that keep cropping up have interrupted Kittle on his $15MM-per-year contract. The former fifth-round pick signed that extension just before the 2020 season, and the bulk of Kittle’s injury trouble came after it. Still, the Iowa product — going into his age-29 season — is one of the NFL’s best tight ends. His blocking and receiving ability represents a rare combination in modern football, giving the 49ers a unique weapon — one that has certainly buoyed their Garoppolo-led attacks over the past several years.
Despite missing three games last season, Kittle caught 71 passes for 910 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. Those numbers did not quite match his late-2010s work — a then-tight end-record 1,377 yards in 2018 and 1,053 in a 14-game 2019 slate — that led the 49ers to extend him. But his return should still provide a noticeable boost. San Francisco’s offense does not exactly have a replacement close to its dual-threat tight end’s level. He stands to assist a team that is reacclimating Garoppolo and dealing with multiple running back injuries (to starter Elijah Mitchell and third-round rookie Tyrion Davis-Price).
September 21st, 2022 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson
Compared to the offseasons leading up to the 2020s, this decade has brought more movement among veteran quarterbacks. While the 49ers are now grateful their efforts to become part of this year’s action-packed QB carousel failed, as Trey Lanceis out for the season, they expected Jimmy Garoppolo to end up somewhere else.
John Lynch has said he was talking to multiple teams at the Combine about moving the longtime San Francisco QB1. One of those appears to be the Commanders. During the initial part of Garoppolo’s complex year, before his shoulder surgery, the 49ers believed the Commanders would be the team that traded for the ninth-year passer, according to Tim Keown and Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Indeed, fellow ESPN scribe Adam Schefter reports that San Francisco and Washington had the parameters of a deal in place, a deal that would have involved multiple draft picks.
Regardless, teams were plainly concerned about Garoppolo’s timetable and his willingness to accept a pay cut, Jeff Howe of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Shortly after it became known Garoppolo would undergo shoulder surgery, the Colts swung a deal for Matt Ryan and Washington moved on to Carson Wentz, acquiring the former No. 2 overall pick for two Day 2 draft choices and a 2022 second-round pick swap.
Such a haul would have been a value coup for the 49ers, who were staring at the prospect of releasing Garoppolo. But the 49ers’ Super Bowl hopes again hinge on their injury-hounded starter remaining available. Garoppolo’s 2018 ACL tear did not appear to derail a Super Bowl threat, but his 2020 ankle malady certainly hurt one. The 30-year-old passer’s three injuries last season (calf, thumb, shoulder) limited him at points, with the latter two issues plaguing him in the playoffs.
“It was right in the middle of training camp, [Kyle Shanahan] kind of just called me in one day and threw out the idea, and it really wasn’t even on my radar until he said something about it,” Garoppolo said of the team’s offer to bring him back on a restructured deal, via Albert Breer of SI.com. “And then he kind of laid it out and obviously the restructure is what it is, I think it had to be done just with the situation. I know it sounds weird, but things kind of just fell into place, honestly. It wasn’t like I was planning on this happening or anything.
“… I mean, honestly, at one point, I didn’t think I was going to be a Niner. I was pretty set on going to a couple different teams I had in mind. And then all of a sudden things switched last second.”
Lynch initially approached Shanahan about circling back to Garoppolo, according to ESPN, but the sixth-year HC did not expect Garoppolo to accept a backup role or a restructure that reduced his salary. Garoppolo was set to make $24.2MM in base salary; that number is down to $6.5MM. But the incentive package that can move the deal to $15.45MM has already begun paying out. Garoppolo receives $250K for each game in which he takes at least 25% of the offensive snaps. Each game in which that snap threshold is met and the 49ers win produces another $100K.
Had the restructure not occurred and a Garoppolo release took place, ESPN adds the Browns were prepared to explore a free agency addition. Conflicting reports emerged about Cleveland’s interest in adding Garoppolo as a better Deshaun Watson fill-in option, with the five-game add-on to the new Browns starter’s suspension igniting these rumors. Although the 49ers gave other teams permission to negotiate a revised deal with Garoppolo, the Browns joined the rest of the NFL in being unwilling to part with assets for him. The Rams were interested in a possible Garoppolo free agency deal; the Seahawks were also believed to be interested in such an agreement. Instead, Garoppolo re-emerged to lead the 49ers to a one-sided win over Seattle.
Jacoby Brissett will be asked to complete the 11-game bridge to Watson, while Wentz is still on the Eagles extension he signed in 2019. The Commanders have him signed through 2024, though no guaranteed money is on the deal beyond this season. Garoppolo is on track for free agency in 2023.
September 21st, 2022 at 2:37pm CST by Sam Robinson
Both Elijah Mitchell and Tyrion Davis-Price are now on the mend for the 49ers. Davis-Price’s ankle sprain is expected to keep him out for multiple games, while Mitchell is early in what is viewed as a two-month recovery timetable from an MCL sprain. Veteran backs are en route.
After the 49ers promoted Marlon Mack to their active roster, they replaced him on the practice squad with Tevin Coleman. Weeks after the Jets released Coleman, the seven-year veteran worked out for his former team last week. This marks a return Bay Area trip for Coleman, who was with the 49ers from 2019-20.
The 49ers officially placed Trey Lance on IR as well. Lance underwent surgery to repair a broken ankle. San Francisco’s starter is out for the season and staring at a four- to six-month recovery timetable. This led Jimmy Garoppolo back to the top of the depth chart and Kurt Benkertonto the 49ers’ P-squad. This year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, is currently Garoppolo’s backup.
This will be yet another Shanahan-Coleman reunion. The sixth-year 49ers head coach was Atlanta’s offensive coordinator during Coleman’s first two NFL seasons, and once the former third-round pick hit the market in 2019, the 49ers added him on a two-year deal. Coleman, 29, now represents insurance against another 49ers backfield injury.
Prior to unleashing Raheem Mostert in 2019, the 49ers had Coleman pegged as their starter. Even as Mostert morphed from special-teamer to first-stringer, Coleman played a steady role for the 49ers’ Super Bowl LIV-qualifying team. He totaled 724 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns in 2019 and surpassed 100 on the ground in San Francisco’s divisional-round win over Minnesota. A shoulder injury slowed him for the rest of those playoffs, and a knee injury in Week 2 of the 2020 season led to a lengthy absence and a vastly reduced role down the stretch that year.
Last season, Coleman played in 11 Jets games — in ex-49ers OC Mike LaFleur‘s offense — and averaged 4.2 yards per carry (84 totes, 356 yards). The Jets brought him back on a one-year, $1.5MM deal, but the team soon drafted Breece Hall in the second round and went with younger backs after training camp. The 49ers have ex-Coleman backup Jeff Wilson installed as their current starter, with Mack and rookie UDFA Jordan Mason as backups.
