Wilson, Mostert solidify run game
McKinnon, Coleman are pending free agents
Jeff Wilson’s 183 rushing yards last game locked him in as the 49ers’ leading rusher this season. Not a bad way to seek a pay raise on a team that will be pinching pennies this offseason.
Wilson now has 524 yards this season (106 carries) and coach Kyle Shanahan said he’s “excited to see him out there Sunday,” when the 49ers (6-9) host the Seattle Seahawks (11- 4) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Wilson’s stats assure him of finishing just ahead of Raheem Mostert, who has nearly identical numbers (521 yards, 104 carries) but is on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
Of all the potential issues swirling around the 49ers’ 2021 plans, they’re set with their top two run
ning backs in Mostert and Wilson.
“I’m very excited about those guys. Everyone knows how good they’ve done once healthy,” Shanahan said Friday on a video conference from Glendale, Ariz., where the 49ers relocated a month ago because of Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Wilson is the fourth different rusher to lead the 49ers in as many seasons under Shanahan, following Carlos Hyde (2017), Matt Breida (‘18) and Mostert (‘19). Not that anyone is complaining. And not that anyone can compare to Frank Gore’s team-leading run from 2005-14.
Wilson arrived as an undrafted rookie in 2018 on a deal that guaranteed only $10,000. Now he stands to double his career earnings
($1.6 million) as a restricted free agent next season. He could draw a oneyear, $3.4 million deal on a second-round tender if the 49ers want to protect against losing him on the lowest-round tender ($2.24 million), according to tender salary projections from OverTheCap.com.
“When I was first coming in undrafted, I didn’t get a
lot of playing time, and when I did play was special teams,” Wilson recalled after Saturday’s win. “Those were my roles and I was happy with it. But deep down, you want more for yourself.”
Wilson has scored a career-high eight touchdowns this season (six rushing, two receiving). He practiced well this week after last game’s busy day, Shanahan said.
Mostert looked better than ever, in Shanahan’s eyes, until a Week 6 high ankle sprain torpedoed his season. He is set to make a $3 million salary in the final year of his contract next year, so carrying him and Wilson is reasonable.
This could be the final game for Jerick McKinnon and Tevin Coleman in 49ers uniforms. Both are pending free agents, and Shanahan noted he still likes them “a lot.” McKinnon has 319 rushing yards and 247 receiving yards in his comeback from 2018 and ‘ 19 knee surgeries. Coleman has 53 yards on 28 carries in a season derailed by a Week 2 knee injury (and predictable run calls).
The 49ers likely will need to unearth a few young prospects next spring to serve as backups, as they did this year with JaMycal Hasty, who impressed as an undrafted rookie before breaking his collarbone on Oct. 15.