The 49ers Should Slowly Phase out Elijah Mitchell for Jordan Mason

Both players got nearly the same amount of handoffs last season and had just about the same impact with the ball in their hands.

What has always made the offense of the 49ers so electric is their running game.

The commitment to run the ball and the complexities of the scheme that throws a defense off balance makes for a fierce offense. It also helps that physicality is a great strength as well. 2023 has the potential to be the best ground attack the 49ers have had under Kyle Shanahan. Yes, Christian McCaffrey has much to do with it as Shanahan has never had an All Pro caliber running back at his disposal. 

However, for 2023 to be the best ground attack the 49ers have had, it has to go beyond McCaffrey. Behind him is Elijah Mitchell who was once the starter and was knocking on the door of 1,000 rushing yards in 2021. Having him in a rotational role makes the 49ers stacked and he proved to be a great compliment to McCaffrey last season. But the issue with Mitchell is he can never stay healthy. Mitchell is an injury prone player. It isn't even debatable at this point. He cannot find any stroke of luck with staying healthy. 

And that is why the 49ers should slowly phase out Mitchell for Jordan Mason. 

Both players got nearly the same amount of handoffs last season and had just about the same impact with the ball in their hands averaging more than 6 yards per carry. Since both can do about the same damage when the ball is given to them, it behooves the 49ers to keep rolling with Mason as the primary backup and rotational player. The better running back is Mason with health tipping the scale in favor of him. 

The hope here is that because Mason can stay healthy, he can start to build momentum for himself and improve. Opportunities were lacking for Mason last year. There was even times during the course of last season when he looked like the better runner than even McCaffrey. Imagine if the 49ers start giving Mason 8 to 12 carries a game instead of Mitchell. He could end up being a stud in the making. There were definitely points last season when he looked like he was barely tapping into his potential.

Slowing phasing out Mitchell behind Mason also will improve the chances of Mitchell staying healthy. At least, that will be the hope, because he gets hurt at a high frequency. Stats and health aside, Mason just looks like the better runner and fit for the 49ers than Mitchell. Mason's body is built like a bruiser to be physical at the point of attack, yet he still maintains quickness and elusiveness to break away. Not to mention that his vision is excellent, but most importantly is he takes care of the football. 

Mason is the better running back for the 49ers to invest more time in than Mitchell. Mason i way more reliable and can be the much better runner, but this is why I say to slowly phase out Mitchell and not bury instantly. Gradually give Mason more opportunities to prove himself and see if he can do it by improving and staying healthy. Should he continue to look the part, then the 49ers have to make that switch and make him the primary backup behind McCaffrey.