Preseason Is Expected To Be A Lost Season For San Francisco 49ers Rb Elijah Mitchell Due To A Hamstring Injury
The San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell did not play in Friday’s preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers due to a hamstring injury and is likely to miss all three of the team’s preseason games.
Kyle Shanahan, the Niners’ head coach, told reporters after Friday’s 28-21 victory over the Packers that Mitchell is dealing with a hamstring injury and will not be available to play in next week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Preseason Is Expected To Be A Lost Season For San Francisco 49ers Rb Elijah Mitchell Due To A Hamstring Injury
A strained hamstring is also a concern for cornerback Charvarius Ward, who is also dealing with a strained hamstring at the moment.
Shanahan said that both of them suffered soft tissue injuries. It is not likely that they will be available next week. We will see what happens the following week.”
It is expected that Mitchell and Ward will be able to play in the regular-season opener against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 11.
For the first two weeks of camp, Mitchell had resumed his role as San Francisco’s starting running back, which he had taken on last season as the team’s leading rusher. Due to Mitchell’s absence, the 49ers will turn to a group that includes Trey Sermon, rookie Tyrion Davis-Price, and JaMycal Hasty to handle the exhibition carries for the team.
During the first half of the game on Friday, Sermon ran for 11 yards on six carries. Among all the players, Davis-Price got the most work, leading the team with a total of ten attempts for 36 yards. In addition to Hasty, he also had 36 yards on five carries.
The veteran back Jeff Wilson Jr. is also on the roster but did not play against Green Bay, along with a large group of key Niners that included left tackle Trent Williams, end Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner, receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and tight end George Kittle.
Mitchell, who was selected by the Saints in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of Louisiana, set a new franchise rookie rushing record last season with 963 yards, adding five touchdowns despite missing six games due to rib, knee, finger, shoulder and concussion injuries.
As a result of offseason knee surgery, Mitchell came back to camp a bit heavier with the hopes that he would be able to handle the workload without any issue.
Injuries to the shoulder forced Niners rookie defensive end, Drake Jackson, to leave Friday’s game.
After the game, Shanahan called it a stinger, but he also added that Jackson would undergo further testing as a precaution.