29. San Francisco 49ers sign Tevin Coleman
This one was under the radar, but the San Francisco 49ers made a smart investment when they added running back Tevin Coleman from the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. A former third-round pick out of Indiana, Coleman never became the feature back with the Dirty Birds due to Devonta Freeman’s presence in the Atlanta backfield.
Even with the powerful back ahead of him, Coleman always showed he was an effective player. He averages 4.4 yards per carry and has 92 career receptions as well. Last season, he was used as the starting back 14 times, as Freeman battled injuries. Coleman finished with 800 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 4.8 per attempt, which was a career-high.
With the 49ers, he rejoins his former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, and the two had plenty of success working together. In 2016, the year Atlanta made the Super Bowl, Coleman had just under 1,000 all-purpose yards and finished with 11 total touchdowns (eight as a runner and three receiving). Coleman added three more touchdowns in the playoffs, including a receiving score in the Super Bowl.
San Francisco will have to figure out how to get Coleman working in a committee again, as he joins Jerick McKinnon who the 49ers signed in 2018. However, McKinnon missed the entire year with a torn ACL, so it has yet to be seen how he will be employed.
The good news is, he too was in a shared backfield previously with the Minnesota Vikings. So San Francisco has two running backs who can be effective as a runner and receiver that are fine with splitting time.