Initially it sounded as if the 49ers would only miss running back Elijah Mitchell for a few weeks. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is now reporting the 49ers’ star running back will be out much longer than that.
An MRI on Mitchell’s knee that he injured in the first half of Sunday’s loss to the Bears revealed an MCL sprain that’ll sideline the 2021 sixth-round pick for two months per Schefter.
Mitchell was putting together a strong effort before going down late in the first half in Chicago. He missed five games last season with various injuries, but now he’ll likely miss more than that.
A two-month timeline would put him back in action in Week 10 vs. the Chargers after the Bye, or the following week on Monday Night Football vs. the Cardinals in Mexico City.
It’ll be a tall task to replace Mitchell, who ran for 41 yards on six carries. RB Jeff Wilson Jr. churned out 22 yards on nine attempts in his stead.
The 49ers will likely lean more on Wilson with third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price and undrafted rookie Jordan Mason also factoring into the backfield rotation. This could also mean a heavier workload on the ground for QB Trey Lance and WR Deebo Samuel. That pair ran it 21 times combined in Chicago.
Mitchell last season played in 11 games and posted 963 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 207 carries.
