As teams finalized their initial 53-man roster for the 2024 NFL season, some notable running backs were released or moved to injured reserve. While teams reduced their lineups before the August 27 deadline, they could make additional transactions, provided they don’t exceed the limit.
The San Francisco 49ers placed Elijah Mitchell on season-ending injured reserve. Therefore, he won't play until 2025 unless the Niners waive and re-sign him after reaching an injury settlement. Mitchell played in 11 games last season, finishing with 281 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Elijah Mitchell is not a "bust". The hit rate on 6th-round picks is around 10% — and the guy rushed for nearly 1,000 yards to save the 49ers as a rookie in 2021.
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 28, 2024
Unfortunately, fighting through 5-6 injuries to stay available for the team that season — which should be saluted —…
Meanwhile, as part of their roster cutdowns, the Minnesota Vikings released Myles Gaskin. He returned to the Vikings after the Los Angeles Rams waived him. However, he never passed the practice squad during his second stint with Minnesota. Gaskin went from playing 17 games with the Miami Dolphins in 2021 to three games last year.
Conversely, the Cleveland Browns released D'Onta Foreman after placing Nick Chubb on the physically unable to perform list. However, there's reason to believe that Foreman will return to the roster after the Browns reduce their four-person quarterback depth chart. Foreman played for the Chicago Bears last season, finishing with 381 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Finally, the Green Bay Packers placed AJ Dillon on season-ending injured reserve due to a neck injury. Dillon has spent his first four NFL seasons with Green Bay, tallying 597 carries for 2,428 yards and 16 touchdowns. With him sidelined, the Packers will rely on Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, and Emanuel Wilson in the passing game.
-Lance Fernandez