Why the 49ers put Elijah Mitchell on the injured list

The San Francisco 49ers have made many surprising decisions in their roster cuts, but perhaps the most surprising was placing running back Elijah Mitchell on the injured list.

His season ended before it began. It was a bitter loss, as Mitchell had only recently returned to training. Until then, a hamstring injury had kept him out of training. But as it turned out, the injury had worsened again.

On Wednesday, Kyle Shanahan revealed why the 49ers placed Mitchell on the injured list.

“He's had some really unfortunate injuries that keep happening, and he had a hamstring injury that got worse,” Shanahan said. “The doctor suggested he have surgery that would be season-ending for him. I don't know when he's doing that, but that's what he should do, and he's going to do it. It was unfortunate not to have him this year.”

Shanahan also confirmed that Mitchell's injury worsened again on Monday. The news is still a bummer, but not detrimental to the offense. Jordan Mason had replaced Mitchell as Christian McCaffrey's backup. That would only upset the 49ers if McCaffrey ever went down.

He would have been useful to back up Mason in a relief role. Other than that, he was cut. Mitchell is in the final year of his rookie contract, so there's a chance he's spent his final moments with the 49ers.

He should garner some interest on the free agent market. The 49ers won't be able to spend that money on him, as they're already well over the salary cap in 2025. Taking up space for a running back in depth is a luxury they can no longer afford.

Mitchell's tenure with the 49ers has been solid. He was a great complement to Deebo Samuel in 2021. Since then, he's been a good backup when the 49ers have needed him. If this is truly the end for Mitchell, then he and the 49ers can rest assured that they've had a successful run.