49ers: Tevin Coleman to miss four weeks with a sprained knee

San Francisco 49ers’ running back Tevin Coleman is expected to miss around four weeks.

The San Francisco 49ers must be wondering how they’ve managed to anger the football injury gods as much as they have. Among all the injuries suffered this past Sunday, the latest update about running back Tevin Coleman has come out.

And much like the others, it certainly isn’t a promising one.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan gave an updated report of all the injuries the 49ers are currently dealing with and he insisted that Coleman will be out a number of weeks with a knee injury.

Shanahan told reporters that Coleman is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks as he recovers from a knee sprain. The 27-year-old was injured in the team’s 31-13 victory over the New York Jets along with a number of other players.

Among those injured were the likes of Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Jimmy Garoppolo, and even fellow running back Raheem Mostert. With Mostert and Coleman sidelined for the time being, the 49ers will have to turn for other faces to lead their backfield.

Which players will the 49ers turn to in place of Tevin Coleman?

That starts with the likes of Jerick McKinnon and Jeff Wilson who will likely the lion’s share of touches from here on out. McKinnon, in particular, will likely receive his first chance at being a pseudo-feature back for the first time in four or five years.

It’s been a long rehab journey for the former Minnesota Vikings running back working back from multiple ACL injuries. The 49ers will likely still limit his touches, however, as they might not want to force-feed him too many carries.

That means that we’ll certainly see plenty of Wilson who’s impressed in limited playing time in the past. Wilson rushed for 105 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries last season and will now see an expanded role in the offense.

Expect the team to make another move as well, likely in the form of a promotion for practice squad running back JaMycal Hasty. Hasty had a strong training camp and will look to become yet another undrafted gem for San Francisco.

That move will likely coincide with Coleman being placed on injured reserve which has not happened at the time of writing.

The 49ers will be running low on running backs. But look for the likes of McKinnon, Wilson, and others to make the most of their opportunities.