After two games, the 49ers are down to one healthy running back.
First, Jeff Wilson Jr. tore his meniscus during OTAs. Then Raheem Mostert injured his knee on his second carry of Week 1 and had season-ending surgery. And now, JaMycal Hasty has a high ankle sprain and will miss a few games, Elijah Mitchell has a shoulder injury and is day to day and Trey Sermon has a concussion and could miss time as well.
That means the 49ers' top five running backs are injured, and we still haven't reached October.
The only healthy running back remaining on the roster is Trenton Cannon, who signed with the team last week to return kickoffs. So today, the 49ers worked out three veteran free agent running backs, according to Kyle Shanahan: T.J. Yeldon, Duke Johnson and Lamar Miller. The 49ers could sign one or them, or promote Kerryon Johnson from the practice squad. The 49ers signed Johnson six days ago.
Mitchell, Hasty and Sermon all suffered injuries in the fourth quarter Sunday in the 49ers 17-11 win over the Eagles. The 49ers defense was dominant throughout the game, as it limited Philadelphia to just three points until late. But the 49ers offense couldn't put the game away. It let the Eagles hang around, and they fought hard until the end, and the 49ers running backs paid the price.
Perhaps if the 49ers had gotten the ball to Brandon Aiyuk more frequently, or used Trey Lance to shake things up, maybe they would have scored more than 17 points, and the Eagles would have let down in the third quarter when they realized they couldn't win.
Now, the 49ers have to patch together their running back room for a difficult three-game stretch against the Packers, the Seahawks and the Cardinals. And then the 49ers will get their bye week. This will be a critical stretch in the season.
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