With an injured Elijah Mitchell expected to miss two months of action, the 49ers’ backfield depth faces an early test.
The team appears to be taking a step to address that situation, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday, citing a source, that San Francisco is signing former Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack to its practice squad.
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The 49ers also promoted safety Tashaun Gipson to the active roster on Tuesday, the team announced, and officially placed Mitchell on the injured reserve list to make room on the roster.
Mitchell suffered a sprained MCL Sunday during the second quarter of San Francisco’s 19-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. While he won’t require surgery for the injury, coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday that the team expects him to miss eight weeks.
In Mack, the 49ers bring a former fourth-round pick onto their practice squad who spent five seasons with the Colts. He signed with the Houston Texans in May but was cut by the team after training camp.
Mack rushed for 1,000 yards with the Colts in 2019, but an ACL tear in 2020 saw him relegated to a depth role behind Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines in 2021.
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In other roster moves, the 49ers on Tuesday also signed offensive lineman Keith Ismael to the practice squad and released offensive lineman Keaton Sutherland and wide receiver Connor Wedington.