The San Francisco 49ers got a welcomed sight on the practice field this week as Marcus Lattimore made his return to the field. The running back has not been seen on the field since getting drafted back in 2012. After suffering one of the more gruesome leg injuries in college football, it was doubtful that Lattimore would every play football again. However, he remained persistent in the effort and now he is another body in the running back rotation.
Lattimore went from being a potential Heisman Trophy winner to a fourth-round draft pick hoping to step on the field once again at some point. He achieved that dream practicing with the active members of the roster and so far the reviews on his talent are solid.
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman was pleased with what he saw from Lattimore on the practice field. The 49ers have 21 days to make a ruling on the running back. They can officially put him back on the active roster in hopes of using him in a few games this season or keep him on injured reserve and waste another year for Lattimore. According to Roman, he might be ready to play.
"It was good, very good ... great to see him out there," Roman said via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. "He worked with [running backs] Coach [Tom] Rathman after practice extra and got with some of the defensive players and got some contact work, which was really good. And I know they looked at that this morning in a pretty early meeting. He's got his window and there's a good plan in place to kind of progress him through that window and see where he's at. Was pretty darned pleased."
The return of Lattimore could make for an interesting offseason for the 49ers. If the running back is able to continue practicing and impress the coaching staff, he could become a reliable member of the offense next season. He would pair nicely with rookie Carlos Hyde and the injured Kendall Hunter which means Frank Gore could be the odd man out.
Both Gore and hunter are on expiring contracts which means the 49ers will have some tough decisions to make. Despite his age, Gore remains one of the best running backs in the league. No one is doubting his ability to continue playing at a high level. However, re-signing him could be tricky. Gore will want a contract worth his reputation, not his age according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The running back market is weak and most players are only inking a one-year deal despite their high stats. If Gore does not adjust his mindset on that, could he be headed elsewhere come 2015?