Elijah Mitchell Injury: Why 49ers RB Won't Need Surgery on MCL Sprain

San Francisco 49ers' head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that explosive starting running back Elijah Mitchell suffered a significant right MCL sprain and will go to IR and miss about eight weeks.

Mitchell will be able to avoid surgery, common practice for MCL injuries, according to the Pro Football Docs, because the ligament can heal sufficiently with rest. 

There is hope he can return in as little as six weeks, though the publicly reported timeline is eight weeks.

Elijah Mitchell Injury Update

The second-year back suffered the sprain when Bears' safety Eddie Jackson brought down Mitchell with a low tackle from his right, going helmet-first into the outside of Mitchell's knee while he planted his foot on the wet sod. 

Mitchell played the next two snaps and made one one-yard rush before coming out and self-proclaimed wide-back Deebo Samuel immediately became the No. 1 option. 

Samuel rushed eight times for 52 yards and scored the only touchdown of the day with a six-yard rush in the second quarter. 

Samuel, veteran backup Jeff Wilson Jr., and rookie Tyron Davis-Price will combine to supplement Trey Lance, who toted the ball 13 times for 54 yards in Sunday's loss and has led the team in rushing in two of his three career starts. 

The extended absence likely signals that the MRI found a moderate-to-severe tear in his MCL, as the Docs were concerned for after he was ruled out during Sunday's game. 

Mitchell missed three weeks in his rookie season after he suffered a concussion and right MCL and/or high ankle injury in Week 13. He returned for the final two games of the regular season and all three playoff games and underwent a clean-up procedure on his right knee during the offseason.