49ers’ Jordan Mason could be the perfect sledgehammer vs. Seahawks

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — One consistent concern for 49ers fans this season has been that the team’s 2022 third-round running back, Tyrion Davis-Price, is following in the footsteps of the team’s 2021 third-round running back, Trey Sermon, whose rookie year fizzled and who was waived before his second season with the team even began.

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Don’t worry. Davis-Price is on a much better path. He’s a hard runner, the coaches like him and he’s part of their future plans.

But he doesn’t play special teams.

And that’s been a critical difference between Davis-Price, who’s watched the majority of games this season from the sidelines, and undrafted rookie Jordan Mason, who’s emerged as the 49ers’ No. 2 tailback and a fan favorite.

The 223-pound Mason usually enters on offense late in contests when the 49ers are trying to salt away the game and when everyone knows exactly what’s coming. That hasn’t mattered much. Mason has plowed his way through heavy boxes, picking up clock-killing first downs along the way. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s gained 100 yards after initial contact on his 29 rushes this season.

Jordan Mason is an absolute wrecking ball ‼️ @jpmason27

📱: Stream #SFvsMIN on NFL+ 

— NFL (@NFL) August 21, 2022

And today seems like an ideal opportunity to bring out a sledgehammer like him earlier than usual. Thursday games already put defenses at a disadvantage and Seattle’s run defense — it allowed 223 yards to the Panthers on Sunday — is one of the worst in the league.

A bludgeon-like ground game also would be a great way to protect Brock Purdy, who enters the matchup with a sore left oblique as well as a rib injury, and to ease the load on Christian McCaffrey, who’s been dealing with a knee issue the last 10 days. Meanwhile, Deebo Samuel usually takes half a dozen or so snaps out of the backfield and is a key ingredient when it comes to tenderizing defenses. He won’t be available against the Seahawks.

Special teams put Mason in the position he’s in now.

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He was a standout on Georgia Tech’s kickoff return unit last season but didn’t play much special teams prior to his senior year. Still, with Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson Jr., JaMycal Hasty, Sermon and Davis-Price ahead of him at tailback when offseason practices began, Mason understood that special teams were critical for him making the roster. He not only was willing to do it, he became committed to it and is now one of the stalwarts on the team’s return and coverage units.

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When the season began, the 49ers knew they could lean on four special teams players. Two were holdovers from last season, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Charlie Woerner, the latter of whom started to emerge late last season. The others were a pair of free agents, George Odum and Oren Burks, who were signed largely because of their special teams prowess. Mason has emerged as the fifth member of a group that consistently logs double-digit special teams snaps per game.

It’s why he, and not Davis-Price, was in uniform on Nov. 27 against the Saints when Mitchell went down with a sprained MCL. Earlier in the season, it seemed that when the 49ers were forced to use one of their rookie runners they tapped Davis-Price over Mason. Against the Saints, however, that wasn’t an option. Davis-Price was inactive and in street clothes. Instead, it fell to Mason to seal a hard-fought victory against one of the better defenses in the league.

Shanahan later admitted he was hesitant to put a rookie in at that critical juncture but that his — and the players’ — confidence in Mason grew after his first few carries.

“I think they were impressed with how he looked running the ball,” he said. “I think it reminded them of how he went in the preseason for a couple games and you could feel him from the sidelines. … I’d like to not put that pressure on him. I’d like to keep our vets out there holding onto the ball, but our guys were a little banged up and so we put Mason in and I’m real glad we did.”

Mason has taken that opportunity and rumbled with it.

If he gets carries in Seattle, some might be reminded of another big-bodied No. 24, Marshawn Lynch, who used to topple tacklers there. A more modest comparison might be Wilson, Mason’s teammate for half the season until he was traded to Miami on Nov. 1.

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Four years ago, Wilson also was an undrafted rookie Shanahan was hesitant to insert into games. During a Week 13 game in Seattle, he had no choice. When Matt Breida aggravated an ankle injury in pre-game warmups, it left Wilson as the only healthy 49ers tailback. He certainly wasn’t perfect that day and the 49ers were throttled 43-16. Wilson still winces at the botched pass route that led to a pick-six interception for linebacker Bobby Wagner.

But he ran the ball with ferocity, averaging more than 4 yards a carry, and captured the attention of fans and teammates for the first time. His second-quarter run on which he blasted safety Tedric Thompson was especially significant considering the Seahawks defense usually delivered the big blows in games in Seattle. The 49ers finally showed fight against their longtime nemesis, and Wilson led the way.

Said then-starting quarterback Nick Mullens that day: “I think the one play where he ran over that guy really brought a lot of juice to the whole team.”

Mason’s been bringing similar juice in recent weeks, and with only 29 carries on the season he’s still got fresh legs. That makes him an interesting short-week weapon in Seattle.

(Photo of Jordan Mason and George Kittle: Michael Owens / Getty Images)