San Francisco 49ers: Joe Williams, Matt Breida offering versatility

Joe Williams and Matt Breida’s performances in the preseason opener that suggest they will give the San Francisco 49ers more versatility at running back.

For the past few seasons, the problem for the San Francisco 49ers at running back has been a lack of versatility, but the preseason has already provided hope that will not be the case in 2017. The 49ers drafted Frank Gore’s heir apparent in Carlos Hyde in 2014, which gave them what looked to be a short-term problem of having two similar power-based backs sharing time.

Gore moved on after that season, but the same problem has remained, with Hyde having been backed up by players whose skill sets did not differ enough from his to offer opposing defenses any contrasting challenges. In 2015, Hyde was backed up by another power back in Mike Davis, with the intended change-of-pace option Reggie Bush unable to see out the season because of injury.

Injures forced Shaun Draughn and DuJuan Harris into the conversation in the second half of 2015 and they stayed on for 2016. But were both uninspiring options, each contributing as pass-catchers but struggling on the ground, with the former in particular displaying a lack of explosion as a runner.

However, heading into this season, the 49ers appear to have a number of runners who can both spell Hyde and help preserve him while presenting defenses with something different to deal with. In free agency the Niners added Tim Hightower, who experienced a rebirth with the New Orelans Saints that was partially inspired by his play in the passing game.

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Hightower excelled significantly as a pass-catcher, cathing 22 of his 26 catches at an average of 9.1 yards per reception. But Hightower also had his best season since 2010 as a runner, averaging 4.1 yards per carry while posting a higher Success Rate — a Football Outsiders metric that measures a runner’s efficiency — than Hyde.

With that said, Hightower is the wrong side of 30 and would, therefore, appear to be on the back end of his career. Still, his experience and apparent proficiency as an all-around back should make him a backup the 49ers can rely on.

The change of pace is likely to come from Williams, who was extremely impressive in his preseason debut against the Kansas City Chiefs. Williams’ commitment to football was called into question during the pre-draft process. The tailback quit football for a month in 2016. Moreover, eyebrows were raised by the revelation from the MMQB’s Peter King that he was not even on the 49ers’ draft board, but was selected after Kyle Shanahan pounded the table for him.

Shanahan’s support for drafting Williams looks well placed after he racked up 60 yards on just seven carries, the former Utah back demonstrating great burst in hitting holes and getting to the perimeter and acceleration in progressing to the second level.

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Per Pro Football Focus’ Jeff Deeney, Williams averaged six yards after first contact, but fellow rookie Matt Breida was just as eye-catching in his display.

Breida was described as a shifty ball carrier with the agility to make people miss coming out of Georgia Southern, but Draft Analyst’s Tony Pauline doubted his ability to pick up yards after contact. But Breida showcased better power than anticipated in Kansas City, consistently bouncing off defenders as a runner in-between the tackles in picking up 40 yards on 11 carries.

He also demonstrated some proficiency as a pass-catcher, making two receptions after recording only 22 catches in three seasons in college.

It is far too early to suggest that the two rookies in the 49ers backfield will continue to perform as they did throughout 2017. But these are encouraging signs for a team that cannot afford to put too much of a burden on a back in Hyde, who has yet to finish a full season.

Should Williams continue to excel as a change-of-pace option with Breida capable of making people miss, picking up yards after contact and catching the ball out of the backfield, then they will take significant pressure off Hyde and Hightower and give the 49ers a truly multi-faceted backfield that can present defenses with a number of different challenges.

Next: NFL Preseason Week 2: Players looking to stay hot

The 2017 NFL Preseason is still in its infancy, but the San Francisco backfield has not looked as deep or as versatile for some time. While it is accepted Shanahan does not have the weapons he had during his time in Atlanta, he will not be short of options in the backfield providing Williams and Breida maintain their strong starts.