GETTY Undrafted free agent rookie JaMychal Hasty could have an opportunity to stake a claim in the 49ers backfield.
The amount of significant injuries the San Francisco 49ers have suffered over the past few weeks has been shocking to say the least.
From quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to corner Richard Sherman to defensive end Nick Bosa, the 49ers have suffered more than their fair share of absent players and it hasn’t seem to improve at as the season has progressed.
The San Francisco running back stable has not escaped the injury bug, as both Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman are out for the immediate future, with head coach Kyle Shanahan releasing a timetable for Coleman on Wednesday.
According to NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco, the 49ers’ head coach provided an estimate of about a month for Coleman’s return, which likely means that the running back will go on the injured reserve.
Shanahan even went on to say that Coleman “is worse than Raheem is,” which is not a good sign that the former Atlanta Falcon will be back any sooner than the month-long estimate.
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Coleman’s Loss
The story of the 49ers’ 2019 season, from a running back perspective, was about how Mostert proved himself as a feature back and a guy that San Francisco could do it all and do it in big moments.
While Mostert rose, Coleman’s stock dropped, solidifying him as the team’s third-place running back after Mostert and now-Miami Dolphin Matt Breida.
With Breida’s departure, Coleman was pretty much the rock solid pick as the team’s No. 2 back, offering a more physical presence than Mostert and fellow 49ers RB Jerick McKinnon.
With both Coleman and Mostert out, McKinnon and Jeff Wilson Jr. will be counted on for contrasting responsibilities, as well as the likely chance for practice squad RB JaMychal Hasty’s first regular-season reps.
Coleman has something to prove this season, so it’s a bit unfortunate to see his time cut down. However, the team has a plethora of talented running backs, and it will be interesting to see who steps up to challenge Coleman while he’s recovering.
JaMychal Hasty Protected
By “likely chance” for Hasty’s first reps, it’s more like it’s guaranteed.
#49ers roster updates:
-Protected RB JaMycal Hasty on practice squad, likely to be promoted Sunday
-Bringing in RBs Paul Perkins, Karan Higdon and Austin Walter for tryouts, per @TomPelissero
-Resigning DL Alex Barrett to PS, per @mattbarrows
-Released CB Christian Angulo from PS
He impressed throughout training camp, but the 49ers are in the enviable position of having a deep stable of proven, differently-talented running backs.
Even with Mostert and Coleman’s absences, Wilson and McKinnon provide unique skillsets that the team and Shanahan can definitely make use of, while the team can also get a better look at how Hasty competes in an NFL setting.
While at Baylor, Hasty showed a mix of vision, power and lateral quickness, a great combo for any running back. While key 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said that Hasty was a major standout at training camp, the rookie hasn’t gotten to show his skills in a live setting.
Fred Warner said RB JaMychal Hasty was the talk of training camp and has “that twitch to him.” Hasty is currently protected on the practice squad and is likely to be promoted on Sunday to the active roster along with Jerick McKinnon and Jeff Wilson. #49ers
It will be interesting to see how much of a look Hasty gets. It’s hard to imagine the team doesn’t at least put a few opportunities in his hands, but they will also do what’s required first to beat the New York Giants.
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Evan Reier is a sportswriter covering the San Francisco 49ers for Heavy.com and local sports for the Montana Standard in Butte, Mont. Reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier and join our 49ers community at Heavy on 49ers on Facebook.