Why the 49ers should end the Jerick McKinnon experiment

When NFL teams sign players in free agency they’re conducting an experiment to see if that player will work out for the team. In the case of the Jerick McKinnon experiment, he has not worked out for the San Francisco 49ers. As a matter of fact, he can’t even stay on the practice field let alone sniff a regular season game. When speaking with bay area radio station KNBR, general manager John Lynch revealed that McKinnon suffered another setback and that is was "not encouraging".

Ever since McKinnon tore his ACL last year he has struggled immensely to become healthy. His surgically repaired knee has constantly had setbacks that just derails his return. At this point, the 49ers are better off just ending the Jerick McKinnon experiment by placing him on season ending injured reserved and cutting him after the season. McKinnon signed a four year, $30 million contract with $18 million in guarantees per Over The Cap.

However, his contract was structured so that his guaranteed money would be front loaded. That means once the 2019 season is over the 49ers do not owe a single penny to McKinnon. They can release him without any movement to the salary cap. As soon as that happens the waves of criticism will be coming bunches for paying a running back who never saw the field so much money. It might be that factor alone as to why the San Francisco 49ers will want to keep him.

It’s essentially a foregone conclusion that Jerick McKinnon will be placed on injured reserve, but which one? The 49ers might want him back at some point, so they do have the option to place him with a designation to return midseason. It wouldn’t be a terrible idea because he could finally be healthy and give some contributions late in the season. However, I find it hard to believe he’ll suddenly have a stroke of luck with his health.

Jerick McKinnon’s struggle to return from a torn ACL is one of the many reasons the #49ers have invested so heavily in the backfield. Shanahan’s offense won’t skip a beat with Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert, who can all contribute both as a back and receiver.
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) August 28, 2019

It is of course possible, but I wouldn’t hold my breathe on it. The 49ers would be better off keeping that roster spot and saving those reps for another. The fact that he is a running back makes him expendable. Raheem Mostert has done a fine job filling in as the number three running back. He has the talent to be a dual threat, so the need for McKinnon just isn’t there. Even if one of the running backs suffers an injury down the line they can easily find a replacement.

Running back is the most interchangeable position in football. They can easily poach a player in free agency if they have to and be fine. For McKinnon, you hope that he can become close to a 100% one day. The string of luck he has had in the last month alone has been poor. He was supposed to make up a three headed monster along with Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida since all of their skill sets are similar. Now it’s looking like a fantasy that will never come true.

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