Free-Agent Contracts 49ers Must Pursue After Preseason

The San Francisco 49ers could find themselves in a bind at two key positions at the start of the 2022 NFL regular season because of injuries.

Elijah Mitchell has been dealing with a hamstring issue throughout training camp and may not be at 100 percent for the opener against the Chicago Bears.

A hamstring injury also hurt the defense, as Jimmie Ward was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. Ward will miss at least the first four games of the season.

San Francisco may have to hit the free-agent market to fill in the gaps at safety and provide some insurance to Mitchell and Jeff Wilson at running back.

Two familiar faces to the 49ers coaching staff are free agents as of Wednesday morning and they could be used as short-term fixes for the current status of the team's roster.

The life span of a running back in the NFL is shorter than most positions.

That is important when talking about the 49ers and Tevin Coleman. San Francisco is most likely not pursuing the running back that it signed ahead of the 2019 season.

It is worth noting Coleman has familiarity with Kyle Shanahan and some members of his coaching staff. If the 49ers need a short-term fix while Elijah Mitchell is banged up, Coleman could be the answer.

Coleman was recently released by the New York Jets. He had 356 rushing yards on 84 carries over 11 games in 2021, his lone season with the AFC East side.

Coleman's second season in San Francisco was marred by injuries, but he did put up 544 rushing yards and six scores in 2019.

The 49ers could enter Week 1 confident that Mitchell's hamstring will heal, but the team has not had great luck with running back health over the last few seasons.

Jeff Wilson, Mitchell's backup, only played in nine games last season and he has not played more than 12 games in a single season in his four-year career.

The 49ers have two unproven options in Tyrion Davis-Price and Jordan Mason behind Mitchell and Wilson on the running back depth chart. Those two players would likely get more carries if Mitchell can't go in Week 1, but it would not hurt to have a veteran option lined up in case things do not improve inside the running back room.

Latavius Murray does not have prior connections to the 49ers, but he has the edge in consistency over Coleman and other running back free agents.

Murray produced at least 500 rushing yards in each of his last seven seasons in the NFL between Oakland, Minnesota, New Orleans and Baltimore.

Murray could be a good short-term solution to the lingering injuries in the running back room. He has been healthy all of his career and has been reliable to pick up yards and find the end zone. He had 10 rushing scores over the last two seasons.

San Francisco appears to be okay with its younger options at the position beneath Mitchell and Wilson, but it never hurts to test the free-agent waters for experienced players.

The 49ers could justify their decision-making at the moment because they can try to get through Week 1 against the Chicago Bears with Wilson, Davis-Price and Mason if Mitchell is not at 100 percent.

The schedule gets tougher in a few weeks with Denver, Kansas City and two games against the Los Angeles Rams upcoming between Weeks 3 and 8.

If the injury situation with Mitchell does not get better, and the current backs do not perform, the 49ers could look to a veteran like Murray to provide some stability in the backfield.

There is a familiar face to the 49ers sitting on the free-agent list if they look in that direction for a Jimmie Ward replacement.

Jaquiski Tartt did not re-sign with the team in the offseason and he ended up in training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tartt was unable to make the Eagles' 53-man roster because of the reconfiguration of their safety depth chart that included a trade for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.

The 49ers have a hole in their secondary from Jimmie Ward's hamstring injury. Ward will be out for at least four weeks and the team could give Tartt a call to provide some insurance for the position.

Talanoa Hufanga, George Odum and Tarvarius Moore are the safeties currently listed on the 49ers' depth chart, and they may be willing to shift one of their backup cornerbacks over to provide cover.

If the 49ers think their current options will not hold up, Tartt is one call away and jumping on the field without much practice time.