When NFL free agency kicked off in March, the San Francisco 49ers saw countless veterans depart the Bay Area on the defensive side of the ball. However, the 49ers witnessed a couple of offensive players leave as well, like Elijah Mitchell.
Mitchell signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. His time with the 49ers had a lot of ups and downs, thanks to the injury bug. The veteran missed the entire 2024 season due to a multitude of injuries.
That said, for the former 49ers running back, going to Kansas City presents him with a fresh start. At the time, it was an opportunity to compete for the RB2 spot behind veteran Isiah Pacheco.
However, the Chiefs’ backfield got crowded quickly after Mitchell signed a one-year, prove-it contract. Four days later, the Chiefs re-signed veteran running back Kareem Hunt, who was outstanding last season in his return to Kansas City.
And then to make matters worse for Mitchell, Kansas City drafted former SMU star running back Brashard Smith in the seventh round of the 2025 draft in April. There’s a lot of excitement and intrigue surrounding Smith, who was a playmaker at SMU and has the skills that would work well in KC.
When you factor all that in, the prospects of Mitchell making the 53-man roster are an uphill battle. The last time he played in a regular-season game was in 2023. During that season, Mitchell had 281 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 75 carries across 11 games.
Not only will he have to outperform a rookie running back in training camp and preseason, but the ex-49er running back must prove he can stay healthy. The best ability is your availability, which has eluded Mitchell over his career.
That said, if Mitchell can look like the running back we saw early in his 49ers career, where he was averaging 4.7 yards per carry as a rookie, he’ll be on the team. However, it's a wait-and-see to see if he does it.