The 49ers are up towards it with their short-term IR, and now they’re dealing with one other vital damage that would push them to their restrict.
Working again Elijah Mitchell suffered an MCL sprain in Week 12 that’s anticipated to maintain him out not less than by means of the common season. Usually placing a participant like that on IR with the intention of bringing him again can be a straightforward name. Putting him there opens a roster spot and permits the crew to make the most of that roster spot on a unique participant.
For San Francisco it isn’t that easy. Groups are allowed to return eight gamers from IR per season. The 49ers have already introduced six gamers again from IR – Mitchell, FS Jimmie Ward, LB Curtis Robinson, OL Colton McKivitz, DL Jordan Mason and LB Azeez Al-Shaair. They’re additionally planning on bringing again DL Javon Kinlaw, who head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated is getting near returning.
As soon as Kinlaw comes again, San Francisco will solely have one short-term IR slot left. It appeared logical when information of Mitchell’s six-to-eight week damage got here out that the 49ers would use that final IR spot on a second stint for the RB, however Shanahan on Friday advised reporters that’s not essentially a slam dunk choice.
“Yeah, you’re allowed eight, that’s the largest factor and I feel we have to use them by then as a result of the playoffs aren’t 4 weeks lengthy, so I feel we now have two extra additionally,” Shanahan stated. “I’m not precisely certain on that, however that’s the stuff that goes into it, that’s why we didn’t determine to do it with Arik. Although it was a very long time in the past, we simply weren’t certain what number of we’d have on the finish of the 12 months and we really feel fairly good, six video games left, the place we’re at, however we’ll make {that a} choice on Elijah, more than likely within the subsequent 24 hours.”
For San Francisco the choice comes right down to how good they really feel about their RB depth and whether or not they need to clear a roster spot for a participant like Tevin Coleman, who’s on the observe squad.
They could determine to attend on Mitchell and see how the following couple of weeks play out. In the event that they undergo one other damage at a spot the place they’ve much less depth, they’d doubtless fairly use the remaining short-term IR slot for that to allow them to signal a participant to fill that void.
Both manner the choice isn’t going to be simple, and if issues go properly for the 49ers, it’ll be the final such selection they’ll should make all 12 months.