SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The 49ers never actively shopped locker room favorite Jeff Wilson Jr., general manager John Lynch said Tuesday.
But when the Dolphins called last week with mild interest — then called back with more urgency Monday — the 49ers couldn’t turn down their ultimate offer, a fifth-round pick.
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For one, the 49ers wanted to do right by Wilson, who was a surprise contributor as an undrafted rookie in 2018, was the team’s leading rusher in 2020, played on a still-healing knee last year and was the starter for most of the 2022 season.
According to Lynch, Wilson knew his snap count would shrink with the addition of Christian McCaffrey and with Elijah Mitchell returning soon from a knee injury. The running back signaled that if there was an opportunity to go to another team where he was needed more, he’d be interested.
It turns out the coach of the team most eager to land him, Mike McDaniel, spent four seasons as Wilson’s run-game coordinator. In Miami, Wilson will join a backfield that includes ex-49ers teammate Raheem Mostert as well as former San Francisco assistants Jon Embree and Wes Welker.
‘”Mike’s a great dude,” Lynch said of McDaniel. “Part of this is you have to make a decision that’s great for the team, but you want to take care of guys that take care of you.”
49ers expected 2023 draft picks:
• Round 3 (comp)
• Round 3 (comp)
• Round 5
* Round 5 (from MIA in Jeff Wilson trade)
* Round 5 (comp)
* Round 6 (comp)
• Round 7 (from DEN in last year’s Jonas Griffith trade)
* Round 7
* Round 7 (comp)
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) November 1, 2022
Two other reasons to make the trade? Wilson was set to become a free agent in March, and the 49ers have a surplus of running backs.
Rookies Tyrion Davis-Price and Jordan Mason, for example, were in uniform for Sunday’s win over the Rams, but neither played on offense. Mason was limited to special teams while Davis-Price didn’t get on the field at all.
Receiver Deebo Samuel, meanwhile, likely will continue to get a handful of carries each game while Tevin Coleman, who scored two touchdowns in a Week 5 win over the Panthers, is on the practice squad.
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Most of all, the 49ers felt comfortable moving their longest-tenured tailback because the new guy looked so good right away.
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McCaffrey left Sunday’s win over the Rams lamenting that he “left a lot of meat on the bone.” His teammates, however, came away impressed by his speed — both at picking up the playbook and how he moved on the field.
“The faster you hit something, the faster you play, the more success you’re going to have,” tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “That’s something we’ve always preached here. When you can make one cut and go, that’s kind of the bread and butter of our offense. That’s what (McCaffrey) was able to do all day long on Sunday.”
Tight end George Kittle said McCaffrey made the blockers’ jobs easier. He said the outside zone runs that are a staple of the 49ers offense aren’t easy to master. Newcomers to the system tend to break upfield too early and before a running avenue is fully formed.
McCaffrey, on the other hand, had both the speed to push runs far to the outside and the patience to wait before making his cut. Kittle, whose locker is next to McCaffrey’s, attributed that to all the studying the running back did before the Rams game.
“It was how to cut, what the target is when you’re trying to run through the C gap on the opposite hash,” Kittle said. “He put so much time into one week. And you can really appreciate that. Because you can tell how great he wants to be. And I think that pushes us all a little bit more, too. Also, he’s very talented. I mean, you see the cuts he makes. He makes guys miss. He’s slippery. I think he’s only going to get better in our offense.”
McCaffrey and Wilson were the only tailbacks who carried the ball in Los Angeles, and they were in the backfield together eight times.
Now Mitchell likely will take over as McCaffrey’s backfield partner in the coming weeks. Lynch said Mitchell has been “tracking really well” in his recovery and that along with the 49ers’ other rehabilitating players — like defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw — Mitchell will stick around Santa Clara during the bye week. The next game is Nov. 13 against the Chargers at Levi’s Stadium.
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Three weeks after that, the 49ers will host Wilson, Mostert, McDaniel and the rest of the Dolphins, who are off to a 5-3 start.
“I don’t feel great about that,” Lynch joked.
Odds and ends
Armstead and Kinlaw said they were making good progress from their injuries — foot and ankle issues for Armstead and knee swelling for Kinlaw.
Armstead on Tuesday said he probably could push through the plantar fasciitis issue that has affected one of his feet. The ankle issue on the other leg has been more problematic but is trending in the right direction, he said.
Kinlaw, meanwhile, is eligible to come off injured reserve after the Chargers game.
“I’ve just got to learn how to manage it well,” he said of his knee. “And I’ve learned a lot being down these last couple of weeks about what I need to do to manage it, maintain it. … It’s a lot. It’s a constant battle.”
(Photo of Jeff Wilson: Harry How / Getty Images)
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