With two games still to play, the 49ers are in bad shape.
At 7-7, their playoff hopes are dead. Head coach Jim Harbaugh is reported to be on his way out. They’ve just released starting defensive end Ray McDonald. And star players such as NaVorro Bowman, Patrick Willis, Daniel Kilgore, Glenn Dorsey, Ian Williams, Tramaine Brock and Anthony Davis have missed all or a big chunk of this season.
As the 49ers head into Saturday night’s game vs. the San Diego Chargers at Levi’s Stadium, it’s looking like top running backs Frank Gore (concussion) and Carlos Hyde (knee) will miss the game because of injuries suffered in the loss to the Seahawks last weekend.
So, when quarterback Colin Kaepernick hands the ball off against the Chargers defense, Alfonso Smith and Phillip Tanner will likely be the ones taking it.
It’s a far cry from training camp, when the 49ers backfield seemed so deep and talented with Gore, Hyde, Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James and Marcus Lattimore (who was expected to be ready by midseason).
Now, it’s Smith and Tanner.
Smith was in on 13 snaps against the Seahawks and had four carries for 6 yards. The 6-foot-1, 209-pounder from Kentucky is in his fifth season in the NFL, having played for the Arizona Cardinals from 2010-2013, mostly as a reserve and special teamer. His best season was in 2011 when he had 30 carries for 102 yards, three catches for 21 and scored a TD.
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Tanner, meanwhile, was signed by the 49ers Wednesday. He had been with the Buffalo Bills for a while earlier this season but was released in November.
An undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State in 2011, Tanner played three season with the Dallas Cowboys as a reserve and special teams player. In three seasons he played 39 games, had 56 carries and gained 149 yards with two TDs.
With Gore not yet cleared by the NFL’s concussion protocol and Hyde saying that “barring a miracle” he also will be out, it looks like 49ers fans will be seeing quite a bit of Smith and Tanner vs. the Chargers.
