3 49ers Trade Targets After Week 2

The San Francisco 49ers appear to be in a bind with their offensive depth just two weeks into the 2022 NFL season.

Jimmy Garoppolo has taken over for Trey Lance at quarterback after the starter went down with a season-ending ankle injury on Sunday.

The injuries to Elijah Mitchell and Tyrion Davis-Price at running back are even more concerning because they cut into the 49ers depth at the position.

San Francisco signed Marlon Mack to its active roster on Tuesday, but the team may still need help at running back because of the high demands of the position within the offensive system.

A handful of running backs could be available for a cheap return on the trade market if the 49ers believe the Wilson-Mack duo will not be enough to take them through the next few weeks.

Myles Gaskin needs a franchise to free him from his situation with the Miami Dolphins.

Gaskin was kept on the 53-man roster after training camp despite the presence of Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert.

Edmonds and Mostert have dominated most of the running back touches through two weeks, which has left Gaskin on the outside looking in.

Of course, Miami could try to keep Gaskin in the case of an injury happening, but the Dolphins need to find a solution to his problem if Edmonds and Mostert stay healthy.

Kyle Shanahan would love to dial up his old assistant, Mike McDaniel, and ask for Gaskin in a trade given the current running back situation in San Francisco.

Gaskin would give the 49ers a young, explosive back to partner with Wilson and Mack that help get their offense going.

The 49ers have been stuck in neutral with what they can do offensively since Lance and Mitchell went down with injuries and George Kittle has not seen the field yet due to a groin injury.

San Francisco would likely have to use a Day 3 draft pick to pry Gaskin from Miami, and if he continues to not see the field much, the Dolphins should consider trading him somewhere.

D'Ernest Johnson is not seeing the field for the Cleveland Browns unless Nick Chubb or Kareem Hunt get injured.

Johnson might not even see a consistent number of snaps in that scenario because Chubb and Hunt can be trusted as No. 1 running backs in any offensive game plan.

Johnson does not have a carry in 2022 and he will be wasting away on Cleveland's bench until a team swoops in to trade for him.

Johnson may be a better trade target than Gaskin because he has not been the feature back with his current team at any point.

Cleveland's third-string running back would be a nice complement to Wilson and Mack in San Francisco.

Like with Gaskin, the 49ers would only have to give up a late-round draft pick to acquire Johnson, so it may be worth the risk to add more depth at the position.

Chuba Hubbard fits into the same category as Gaskin and Johnson.

Hubbard is listed as the No. 3 running back on the Carolina Panthers' depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey and D'Onta Foreman.

Hubbard has one carry for three yards through two games in 2022 and his offensive snap count is not expected to grow unless an injury occurs.

Hubbard had 612 rushing yards and five scores last season while McCaffrey was injured, so he does come with a small track record of production in the NFL.

San Francisco may be willing to trade for a young, reserve running back in the coming weeks if Mack does not work out behind Wilson inside the offense.

Mack has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons and he was unable to impress the Houston Texans enough to keep a job there in preseason.

If Mack does not perform well as a backup, the 49ers need to address their need for running back depth immediately and a young player like Hubbard could be the perfect fit to fill the void since he is not playing offensive snaps in Carolina and could be hungry to prove something with a new team.