SANTA CLARA — The 49ers will have to promote a running back to the 53-man roster, but they haven't made it official yet.
The 49ers lost another running back to a season-ending injury when Raheem Mostert broke his forearm in the Thursday night game against the Raiders on Nov. 1. He had been a bright spot for the team that already had lost Jerick McKinnon prior to the start of the season.
Mostert carried the ball 41 times for 297 yards, giving him a whopping 7.7 yards per carry. He's also known for being a standout player on special teams.
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49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he and the staff knew who they would promote but couldn’t make the announcement yet.
“Yes, we have decided, “ Shanahan said. “But I haven’t told them yet. So, I apologize. I would, but it’s recorded, and I’ve got to tell them first.”
One option for the promotion would be North Texas rookie Jeff Wilson. In his senior year, the 6-foot, 195-pound running back carried the ball 188 times for 1,215 yards. In three preseason games with the 49ers, he rushed 19 times for 60 yards and one touchdown.
Maybe a more likely promotion is sophomore back Matthew Dayes. The 5-9, 205-pound running back spent his first season with the Browns. While he carried the ball just five times for 13 yards with Cleveland, he registered 19 kickoff returns for 437 yards, a 24.3-yard average. He also recorded eight special-teams tackles.
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Running back Matt Breida finally was off the injury report heading toward Monday night’s game against the New York Giants. He has carried the ball 96 times for 351 yards, giving him a 5.5-yard average per carry.
Alfred Morris likely will see more carries in Mostert’s absence. He has registered 84 carries for 294 yards, an average of 3.5 yards per carry.
