Report: San Francisco 49ers Looking To Trade RB LaMichael James

Dec 29, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back LaMichael James (23) runs the ball in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

According to a report, the San Francisco 49ers are dangling running back LaMichael James as trade bait in advance of next month’s draft.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reported Wednesday, citing a league source, that the 49ers have been shopping James.

James emerged as the team’s No. 1 punt returner last season after much-maligned Kyle Williams was released. He ran back 23 punts for 251 yards, a 10.9 yard average. He also returned 12 kickoffs for 26.8 yards per return.

He was a second-round pick by the 49ers out of Oregon in 2012 but saw his role in the offense diminish from miniscule as a rookie to almost non-existent in 2013.

He ran the ball just 12 times for 59 yards last season and caught two passes for 16 yards. Part of his problem, however, was fumbles—he had three in just 49 touches.

In the playoffs, James carried once for no yards in the NFC Championship at Seattle, had three punt returns for 20 yards and ran back seven kickoffs for 24.3 yards a return.

In 2012, James had 125 yards on 27 carries, caught three passes for 29 yards and returned 14 kickoffs for a 29.8 yard average. In the 2012 playoffs, he carried the ball 11 times for 65 yards, including his only professional touchdown in the NFC Championship win at Atlanta. He caught two passes for 11 yards in the playoffs and returned seven kicks for a 23.1 yard average.

James was a consensus All-America and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s most outstanding running back as a junior at Oregon in 2010. In three seasons at Oregon, he rushed for 5,082 yards and 53 touchdowns, averaging 6.6 yards a carry and led the nation as a sophomore in 2009 with 1,731 rushing yards, 1,939 yards from scrimmage and 24 touchdowns.

But he’s had trouble getting playing time on offense since coming to the 49ers, something he has expressed his frustration with.

Apparently, he was also aware of the trade discussions, tweeting earlier Wednesday:

The 49ers were looking players with return experience in free agency and will bring in at least two running backs for pre-draft visits, including Towson’s Terrance West, who is scheduled to come to Santa Clara on Monday, and UCF’s Storm Johnson, slated to be at the 49ers facility Monday and Tuesday.

It was thought that the Eagles might be a potential destination for James, who played three years at Oregon under currently Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly, but those talks cooled after the Eagles made a trade with New Orleans to bring in another diminutive running back, Darren Sproles.