When the 49ers traded away Jeff Wilson Jr. to the Miami Dolphins last week, 49ers general manager John Lynch said Elijah Mitchell was making good progress.
On Monday morning, the team announced that they have opened up a practice window for second-year running back, who has been on injured reserve after injuring his MCL in Week 1. The 49ers offense should get a huge boost from Mitchell, who will also take a load off Christian McCaffrey and move the versatile veteran all over the field.
Practice windows have also been opened for linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (MCL) and offensive lineman Colton McKivitz (MCL). Al-Shaair has been out since Week 3 with his injury, while McKivitz was injured in Week 4.
Mitchell burst on to the scene as a sixth-round pick out of Louisiana in 2021, but fell 37 yards short of being the first 1,000-yard rusher since Frank Gore in 2014. Mitchell was injured in Week 1 when suffered a direct hit to his right knee in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears.
Some initially thought the 49ers made a gamble by trading Wilson away for a fifth-round pick, as he could have been top-notch insurance for Mitchell and McCaffrey, who have dealt with their share of injuries. But Wilson told reporters in Miami that he actually asked for a trade once the 49ers landed McCaffrey, so the franchise wanted to put him in a good situation. In his first game with former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and current Dolphins head coach, Wilson carried the ball nine times for 51 yards and caught three passes for 21 yards and a score.
The 49ers are banking on Mitchell’s explosiveness to still be there after his injury. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry as a rookie – which ranked 13th in the NFL – but issues with his finger, rib, head and knee last season limited him to 14 games (12 starts) out of a possible 20, including playoffs. We only got a small glimpse of Mitchell in the opener, but he rushed six times for 41 yards, a healthy 6.7 yards per carry.
Mitchell told NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco last week he expects to play against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
McCaffrey’s hands could be further unlocked with the addition of Mitchell, as Shanahan won’t shy away from having all of his playmakers on the field at the same time. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel (hamstring), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (finger) could also return after a one-game absence, so the 49ers offense should be the healthiest it's been in weeks against the Chargers on Sunday if Mitchell is cleared to play.
ESPN's Nick Wagoner shared updates from Monday's practice in Santa Clara.
Mitchell. McCaffrey. Deebo. Brandon Aiyuk. George Kittle. Juice. Jimmy Garoppolo will have a lot of weapons at his disposal when the group is at full strength. Not to mention Trent Williams is healthy and surely benefitted from the bye week, along with right tackle Mike McGlinchey. Oh, and those Odell Beckham Jr.-to-49ers rumors are heating up.
The 49ers defense would love to get Al-Shaair back at the strongside, along with Dre Greenlaw on the weakside, as he missed Week 8 with a calf injury. We’ll also have to see if defensive tackles Arik Armstead (foot/ankle) and Javon Kinlaw (knee) can return to action after missing significant time.
As beat up as the 4-4 Niners have been this year, things are trending up entering Week 10 with the second half of the season to play.
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