49ers to release veteran running back in surprising move, per insider

The San Francisco 49ers certainly are busy right now.

With the 2024 National Football League regular season just a few weeks to go now, the 49ers need to trim down the roster. This means that there will be plenty of players cut and traded over the next few days.

San Francisco already is right in the middle of making moves and reportedly released veteran running back Matt Breida on Monday, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"49ers releasing veteran (running back) Matt Breida, per source," Fowler said.

It's not too shocking that the 49ers made a move at the running back position, but it is somewhat surprising that Breida was on the chopping block. Christian McCaffrey obviously is the team's starter and will get the majority of all of the running back repetitions.

There has been some speculation that the 49ers could part ways with fellow running back Elijah Mitchell because of his injury history. It seemed like Breida had a good chance of landing a spot on the roster as he is a seven-year NFL veteran and has served depth roles well. He even has experience with the 49ers in his first three seasons in the NFL.

Now, he will be on the lookout for a new opportunity in the near future. It wouldn't be shocking at all to see him quickly land a new job. He is a capable backup running back and hopefully will find a new opportunity quickly.

The new season is just a few weeks away and there likely will be even more surprising moves before it gets here.

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