Kyle Shanahan explains why Jordan Mason hasn’t seen much action for the 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers running back situation has been one to monitor throughout the season, as star Christian McCaffrey leads the league in rushing yards, but his propensity for catching passes in the air has forced the team to be efficient with his snaps.
That has led to a few carries for backups Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason, with head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledging the need to create more of a balance in the past, although it’s tough to take a player of McCaffrey’s caliber off the field.
Last Sunday, the 49ers provided McCaffrey with 16 of the team’s 27 carries, instead involving him more in the passing game with six catches for 47 yards on ten targets.
Utilizing McCaffrey in space more is a smarter plan, as it allows for less wear-and-tear on his body in comparison to running up the middle into traffic.
But, how did the 49ers split those other 11 carries?
Elijah Mitchell led the way with eight, earning 23 yards in those opportunities, while Deebo Samuel had three carries for 29 yards and a touchdown.
However, one name was missing from the bunch: running back Jordan Mason, who saw just three snaps of action, despite the game being well out of hand.
Mason’s lack of playing time has been somewhat of a mystery this season, as the running back has rushed for 5.6 yards per carry over his 21 opportunities, but has ceded the No. 2 role to Elijah Mitchell, who has been much less efficient with just 73 yards on 30 carries.
Now, there are a few reasons for that imbalance in efficiency between the backups, but the fact of the matter is: Mason has been useful when on the field. So, why hasn’t that translated into more playing time.
Speaking with reporters ahead of San Francisco’s Week 12 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head Kyle Shanahan revealed that it’s not a trust issue, but rather a preference issue, as the 49ers frankly like McCaffrey and Mitchell over Maso
