It looked after last season like another late-round/undrafted running back might be carving out a bigger role over a highly drafted player at the same position. RB Jordan Mason, who wasn’t selected in last year’s draft, averaged 6.0 yards per carry on 43 attempts last year in a role where he helped close games for the 49ers down the stretch.
Mason looked on track to take on a role over 2022 third-round pick Ty Davis-Price going into their second seasons, but that opportunity may be slipping through Mason’s hands.
49ers assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn earlier in the offseason emphasized the importance of pass catching for the team’s RBs now that they’d integrated RB Christian McCaffrey into their offense. Due to McCaffrey’s diverse skill set, it put pressure on the other 49ers running backs to be effective receivers so the team didn’t have to run a separate version of its offense when McCaffrey was on the field.
Mason on Wednesday dropped a screen pass in practice according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. This came after Sunday’s season opener where Mason dropped a screen on a second-down play that would’ve gone for big yardage.
That could be a problem for the former UDFA since Davis-Price has drawn praise from the coaching staff for the significant leap he’s taken since last season. Part of that leap is his pass-catching abilities. If Mason can’t consistently hold on to the short throws that make life easy on QBs, he could find himself on the outside looking in at the RB rotation to begin his second season.
