This is a big week for the 49ers, with the final exhibition game Thursday night and the roster cut-down deadline Saturday.
For players still on the bubble – will they stay or will they go? – the next few days are their final opportunities to make a case for employment.
One player who’s forcefully argued that case is running back Jeff Wilson Jr.
The 49ers backfield is loaded, with veteran free-agent acquisition Tevin Coleman, Jerick McKinnon, Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert (also a special teams star). Before training camp, those four figured to be the front-runners. But after a solid training camp and some excellent work in preseason games, Wilson may have thrust himself into the the team’s 2019 plans.
In the 49ers’ victory over the Chiefs this past weekend, Wilson led the team with 45 yards on 12 carries, with two touchdowns – a 4-yard run and a 7-yard pass reception.
Wilson, an undrafted free agent from North Texas, played six games for the 49ers in 2018, carrying 66 times for 266 yards (a 4-yard average), while also catching 12 passes for 98 yards.
This offseason, the 6-footer added extra muscle to his frame in his bid to make the roster.
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After the win over Kansas City, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he’s happy with what Wilson has shown and will give him one more opportunity Thursday night to show he belongs on the opening-game roster.
“He looks like a very similar runner to what he was last year,” Shanahan told reporters. “When you’re running the same and you’ve added 15-20 pounds, that’s a good thing. I think he ran pretty well in this game tonight. I think he ran well last week. We’ll see how he does in this final one. We’ll make a decision on a bunch of guys.”
Wilson has benefitted this summer from McKinnon’s slow return from surgery/rehab, and extended snaps when Breida had to sit out practices last week.
Will it be enough? With another big night against the Chargers in the preseason finale Thursday night, it may be hard for the 49ers to let him go.
