Kyle Shanahan Hints at Jordan Mason Beating out Elijah Mitchell in Camp

Christian McCaffrey might have a new backup going into 2024.

Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (24) carries the ball against Los Angeles Rams linebacker Christian Rozeboom (far left) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The running back depth chart for the San Francisco 49ers has been clear for the last two years.

Christian McCaffrey is the lead guy with Elijah Mitchell backing him up, then Jordan Mason as the third man up. Well, there potentially might be a change emerging with the running back depth chart.
On Monday, Kyle Shanahan hinted that Mason is beating Mitchell out at 49ers training camp so far.

"Nothing against Elijah, there's been no fall off in Elijah at all, but [Jordan Mason] JP runs at a very high level," said Shanahan. "JP wasn't there right away, but he got there pretty quick. He did a hell of a job for us last year. We'll see how camp plays out. But I love both of those guys and got some depth behind them too.”

This is fantastic for Mason. He has always been a very promising player who the 49ers should've incorporated more when McCaffrey was resting. But Shanahan had always favored Mitchell. This shows that Mason has really taken the next step in developing, which Shanahan has noticed.

However, I also think there is something else to it. Mitchell is in the last year of his rookie contract. This could be the first step of the 49ers phasing him out since he has no future on the team, especially since he could even be used as trade bait.

Mason has two more years left on his deal, so it makes sense for the 49ers to invest in him more. This is something I advocated for last year regardless of the contract situation because Mitchell has proven to be an injury prone player. It made sense to go with the player who is reliable and ascending.

So, with Mason beating out Mitchell so far, I'd say it is a combination of him looking the part and the fact that Mitchell is most likely on his way out via trade or in free agency.