Elijah Mitchell Ruled Out for 49ers vs. Bears With Knee Injury
San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell suffered a knee injury in Sunday's season opener against the Chicago Bears and was ruled out for the remainder of the game, the team announced.
Mitchell had six carries for 41 yards before exiting.
It's a tough blow for Mitchell, who was in and out of the lineup in his rookie year because of knee, shoulder and rib injuries. The sixth-round pick out of Louisiana also missed time with a concussion.
In 11 games last season, he rushed for 963 yards and five touchdowns and also caught 19 passes for 137 yards and one score.
In addition, the 24-year-old underwent knee surgery in April but fully recovered in time for training camp with the Niners in July. After having surgery, he told reporters that he wanted to become a more complete running back.
"Really, just to improve on everything, on things that I need to work with," Mitchell said. "Really to just build on what I did last year and just to become that perfect back."
With Mitchell atop San Francisco's depth chart, he's expected to carry much of the load this year. However, when he misses time, Jeff Wilson Jr., Tyrion Davis-Price and Trey Sermon should see more playing time.
