Sources: 49ers RB Mitchell (MCL) out 2 months

San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell is expected to be sidelined about two months with the sprained MCL he suffered Sunday, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Mitchell left the game just before halftime and did not return to the Niners’ 19-10 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

It wasn’t immediately clear how Mitchell got hurt, though his last snap before the injury was receiver Deebo Samuel‘s 6-yard touchdown run with 10:11 left in the first half. Mitchell was blocking on the outside for Samuel on the play and it appeared a Bears defender rolled into the back of his legs.

Mitchell had six carries for 41 yards before exiting. Entering his second NFL season, Mitchell has dealt with myriad injuries, including a hamstring issue that kept him out of the preseason. In 2021, he set a franchise rookie rushing record with 963 yards, adding five touchdowns, despite missing six games with multiple injuries (ribs, knee, finger, shoulder and concussion).

With Mitchell out, Jeff Wilson Jr. stepped into the primary running back role with rookie Jordan Mason as the backup. Wilson finished with nine carries for 22 yards and Samuel carried eight times for 52 yards, though it was quarterback Trey Lance who led the Niners in rush attempts (13) and yards (54).

Tyrion Davis-Price, a third-round draft pick out of LSU, was a pregame inactive but is also on the 53-man roster.

Information from ESPN’s Nick Wagoner was used in this report.

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