Deducing how 49ers will ‘impose their will’ in ever-critical running game

SANTA CLARA — The warning went out across the 49ers media room swiftly after practice: “Do not post any videos or pictures of the 49ers’ running back drills.”

That message, hollered by a member of the team’s communication department, was a reminder of how secret the 49ers want to keep their rushing game’s nuances.

Nothing new there. The 49ers’ offense is still steeped in a run-oriented approach.

What should be novel about this season’s edition, of course, is the extra elements at play with a mobile quarterback.

Trey Lance gave the NFL a glimpse last season at his rushing ability, whether he’s keeping the ball on zone-read runs that Colin Kaepernick did so well a decade ago, or whether Lance is dishing the ball (reminder: the media can’t explain how) to an army of capable rushers.

Now hear this: The 49ers’ 53-man roster cuts this past week painted a picture of their ground-and-pound approach, which should help Lance’s onboarding as a NFL starting quarterback. They have 10 offensive linemen, four tight ends and All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk to help block for, well, at least four pure running backs.

Waived first Tuesday was JaMycal Hasty, a speedy but diminutive back who was used mostly for third-down plays (somewhat by default) and special teams. A day later, Trey Sermon got waived, regardless of being a 2021 third-round pick out of college powerhouses Ohio State and Oklahoma. Sermon didn’t run great in camp nor in the preseason, but he could have filled the third-down role as a quality receiver and capable blocker.

These 49ers, however, want as much depth as possible for mainstay-caliber rushers, behind second-year starter Elijah Mitchell, who is healthy after with a hamstring injury in camp.

So they kept fifth-year man Jeff Wilson Jr. and two rookies, Ty Davis-Price (third round, LSU) and Jordan Mason (undrafted, Georgia Tech).

Wilson has the repertoire to be cast as the third-down back. Davis-Price has the size to be a power back, but not the hands to be a reliable receiver. Mason, well, he’s shown the potential to do it all, and that saved a roster spot for “J.P.” – as the 49ers’ brass calls him.

“It’s really hard to lose guys that have first and second down running ability. Those are the things you really value,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday on KNBR 680-AM. “You can have traits of guys good on third down who do a little bit of everything but when you lose that first and second down running back, for what we do offensively, it’s a little tough to function.”

Case in point: the start of the 2021 season, where an early wave of injuries had the 49ers scrambling. Out of service: Raheem Mostert (knee), Mitchell (shoulder), Hasty (ankle), Wilson (knee) and, briefly, Sermon (concussion).

The 49ers poached Jacques Patrick off the Bengals practice squad, but there was little time for introductions.

“We were putting a running back in the game who I was calling by his number, and so was Jimmy (Garoppolo), because we didn’t know his name yet,” Shanahan said. “We were asking the number of the back if he knew how to run ‘power,’ while he was in the huddle during a timeout.

“I’m a little scarred from that stuff.”

Mitchell, if healthy, is their workhorse. He ran for 963 yards last season as a sixth-round rookie, despite missing six games. Only seven running backs hit the 1,000-yard mark last season.

“This year I am focused on trying to make people miss more, instead of just running into everybody,” Mitchell said Monday.

Mitchell brings speed that complements the 49ers’ one-cut-and-go mentality, as do the other backs.

“I’m not ever going to change my running style,” Mitchell added. “But I just have to do the right things in the building to take care of my body: get in the cold tub, the hot tub, working with Elliott (Williams, the 49ers’ director of functional performance).”

Don’t forget about Deebo Samuel as an option (see: eight rushing touchdowns last season).

Don’t forget about other receivers (Brandon Aiyuk, Ray-Ray McCloud, Danny Gray) and even tight end George Kittle, all of whom are fair game for getting the ball in the backfield on jet sweeps or draw plays, as past seasons have shown.

Of course, don’t forget about Lance’s potential. His 2021 rookie year: 4.4 yards per carry, 38 rushes, 1 touchdown. His 2018-2020 time at North Dakota State: 6.9 yards per carry, 192 rushes, 19 touchdowns.

Lance isn’t such a proven commodity in the NFL, nor is Davis-Price, and, most of all, neither is Mason.

“What J.P. Mason becomes, I don’t know,” general manager John Lynch said. “We’re very encouraged and think he’s going to be a real good football player for us.

“He runs in our style. And ultimately it came down to that.”

Yes, they have a style, and Lynch didn’t object to it being called “bully ball.”

“A lot of it starts with our head coach, who’s our play caller, in terms of gaining schematic edge,” Lynch said. “But it’s not all about scheme. At some point you got to impose your will on people. … George (Kittle), the way he plays kind of embodies that, Trent Williams, you go down the list.

“So yeah, it becomes kind of a characteristic that we covet. But it’s really nice when you get guys who can impose their will but also separate and do things and also run. So that’s what we try to do, come up with a good mix of all of it.”

It goes on display Sept. 11 at Chicago, where, last season, Mitchell ran for a career-high 137 yards and a touchdown. Oh, a guy named Garoppolo also ran for two touchdowns in that season-saving win.