Opportunities have been hard to come by for 49ers rookie third-round running back Tyrion Davis-Price. An early-season injury, combined with the 49ers’ backfield depth has pushed Davis-Price down the depth chart where he’s been virtually invisible during his rookie campaign.
That changed some Saturday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium when Davis-Price notched nine carries for 30 yards. While there were a couple of runs that stood out for yards he gained, head coach Kyle Shanahan pointed to a yard that Davis-Price didn’t gain that wound up being a big, positive play for San Francisco.
“Yeah, Ty, he had a good game,” Shanahan on Monday said in a conference all. “I think it was the second-and-four that he’d like to have back that ended up leading to that third-and-one and fourth-and-one we didn’t get, but then watching the film, the linebacker had his hands inside on the ball and if he would’ve fought for another yard, it would’ve ended up being a fumble, so it was a smart decision for him to roll with the ball. Didn’t make any mistakes in the game and I was happy for him that he could get out there, get his feet wet again, back in the game and get some carries because there’s a great chance we’ll need him here going forward.”
Undrafted rookie Jordan Mason has been getting the work spelling RB Christian McCaffrey, but a hamstring injury leading into the game and a knee injury scare on the first play pushed Davis-Price into some rare, early action. The ability to churn out carries without turning the ball over will be key for the third-round choice if he wants to continue earning more playing time.
