What It Means:

This is the second time in a little over a month that Shanahan has sung Sermon's praises, which is notable after the running back seemed to spend most of his rookie season in the coach's doghouse. Elijah Mitchell is still expected to be the 49ers' top back in 2022, but Sermon could carve out a meaningful role for himself with a strong preseason showing.

numberFire's models currently project Sermon for just 10.2 carries this season, which is fifth on the team. However, he actually finished a touch above Mitchell in terms of advanced efficiency last season. Among the 83 backs with 40-plus carries in 2021, Sermon ranked 49th (0.00) and Mitchell was 50th (negative-0.01) in Rushing Net Expected Points per carry.