Getty A former 49ers running back had a tryout with the franchise on Monday, August 7.
Could the San Francisco 49ers be looking to bring back someone familiar with the organization? Especially the backfield?
One of the four running backs who went through a private workout with the Niners on Monday, August 7 has knowledge of the 49ers’ system plus has a past tie-in with head coach Kyle Shanahan, which could give him an advantage in being a possible late addition to the running back room: Brian Hill.
Who Was Hill? And When Was he With the 49ers?
Hill, 27, is the only one of the quartet of workouts with previous ties to the 49ers.
He was last seen having regular season action with San Francisco in 2021 — as he was given three games of action that year.
Hill was originally brought in for depth reasons as the 49ers lost Raheem Mostert for the season and dealt with a banged up RB room that saw Trey Sermon and Elijah Mitchell battle injuries plus saw Deebo Samuel get moved to the backfield to help offset the lack of depth — leading into his All-Pro season as a “wide back.”
At the time, Hill was considered the tallest RB option on the 49ers at 6-foot-1. But he had past familiarity with a Shanahan-led attack.
While he never played for Shanahan, he got the chance to play in a system Shanahan left behind for the Atlanta Falcons when Hill arrived to the league in 2017. He went on to spend 2018 to 2020 with the Falcons and tallied 945 rushing yards on 198 carries and scored three touchdowns. Of his carries, 44 were good enough for the first down.
He was utilized a little more as a wide receiver out of the backfield, though, in his final campaign with the NFC South team — catching 25 passes for 199 yards and averaged eight yards a catch.
Hill parted ways with the 49ers when his contract officially expired on January 30, 2022.
Where Did Hill End up Post 49ers?
Hill managed to continue his career professionally. But outside of the NFL — including a stop outside of the United States.
The former Wyoming Cowboy ended up in the Canadian Football League with the British Columbia Lions for the 2022 season. He joined the BC Lions practice squad roster but was ultimately cut on September 22, 2022.
Hill crossed back to the U.S. but this time to earn a tryout with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL. There, he ended up a sixth round selection ahead of the 2023 season.
Now, with Mitchell’s current injury situation, the 49ers found the need to tryout some available running backs. And it turns out one is already pretty well-known to the 49ers organization having been in Santa Clara before.
Former NFL Starter Also in Tryout Group
Hill may have been one name recognizable by the 49ers’ brass. But arguably, the biggest name among the four players who tried out was a former starter in the league: Duke Johnson.
He emerged as a 2015 starter for the Cleveland Browns after being selected in the third round. He went on to start in seven contests that year — the most for his career.
Johnson, 29, has only rushed for more than 400 yards once in his career (2019) and has had stops with the Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins and last season, the Buffalo Bills.
Johnson has 2,265 career rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.