Trey Sermon is Instilling More Trust in Kyle Shanahan

Kyle Shanahan sounds like he has more trust in Trey Sermon should he have to fill in rotation going forward.

Trey Sermon received 10 carries against the Jaguars.

And while he didn't start to see time until the second half when the 49ers were clearly going to win, it is still a bit of a positive note at least.

Kyle Shanahan hasn't been comfortable with Sermon. While the reasoning is blurry, it is no surprise to see Shanahan hesitant or neglecting a young talent. That is just the way he conducts himself as a coach. If you don't show promise right away and make plays, you will be in a stagnant position with him.

However, even in the point of a game when the pressure was leveled off, Sermon seemed to be instilling more trust in Shanahan. On a conference call Monday with reporters, Shanahan was asked if Sermon put himself in a better position to be able to step up and fill in a backup role.

“Yeah, I do. I think he's better now than when he was given the last opportunity and I know I get these questions about Trey a lot. So, he's been doing it each week. He has been earning stuff and improving each week, but there is a pecking order with backs. You can only give so many guys the ball.

"Elijah's kind of solidified himself as our starter this year. [RB] Jeff Wilson [Jr.] has done it since he's been here and [RB JaMycal] Hasty being on the bench and then Elijah getting hurt this week opened up an opportunity for him to get some reps again. And I thought he came in and showed what he's been showing in practice, he's been getting better and I thought he did a good job in helping us win on Sunday.”

It doesn't sound like Sermon will get any more share of the carries when Elijah Mitchell is healthy. But it was encouraging to hear Shanahan sound upbeat about Sermon. He hasn't really talked about Sermon in that way or given a lengthy response regarding him for a while. Shanahan made it clear that if any running back were to miss time that Sermon has gained enough trust to be in the rotation.

Unfortunately, as Shanahan pointed out, and even confirmed my own take, Sermon will be restricted as an emergency running back. If Mitchell and Jeff Wilson Jr. are healthy, he will stay on the sidelines or be a healthy scratch.