It seems 49ers fans still are haunted by the franchise's last trade with the Indianapolis Colts when DeForest Buckner was shipped out of Santa Clara, but the front office could be looking to make another deal with their next opponent.
Josina Anderson reported Thursday morning that the 49ers are among a handful of teams that have made preliminary inquiries on a trade for Colts running back Marlon Mack.
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Late last month, Mack and the Colts mutually agreed to seek a trade as the 25-year-old has fallen on the depth chart to Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines. The question now is, do the 49ers make sense as a trade partner?
Raheem Mostert, the 49ers' top running back to open the season, is out for the year with a knee injury. Sixth-round draft pick Elijah Mitchell has became the team's starter as a rookie and third-round rookie Trey Sermon has had an up and down start to his pro career. On Monday, the 49ers opened the practice window for JaMycal Hasty as he returns from injured reserve.
Though Mitchell has opened eyes as a rookie, Mack certainly would give the 49ers added depth a position that has been depleted at times. But how much value does Mack hold at this point?
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Just two years ago, Mack rushed for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns. Unfortunately for him, he tore his Achilles in the first game of the year last season, putting an end to his 2020 campaign. This year, he has appeared in four of the Colts' six games and only has received 25 carries for 97 yards.
Coach Kyle Shanahan is well known for turning nearly anybody into viable running back. There's no doubt he could do the same with Mack. However, the 49ers very well could look to improve a different area of need instead of running back before the Nov. 2 NFL trade deadline.
Perhaps the 49ers will get a front-row view of Mack's value Sunday night when they face the Colts at Levi's Stadium.