The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly interested in Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, and that could open the door for Ryan Mathews to be available in a trade. Walter Football writer Tony Pauline is reporting the 49ers and Cowboys are two teams interested in Mathews if he is available in a trade.
The San Francisco 49ers running back depth chart is in fairly decent shape, but odds are pretty good the team will look to add some more talent. They dealt with numerous injuries last season, and likely recognize a team can't have too many running backs.
Of course, they also added talent fairly inexpensively, so I would not expect the team to invest too heavily in another back. Mathews is due $3 million in 2016, and $4 million in 2017. That's not super expensive, but would the 49ers add a second back at that kind of price. Chip Kelly could decide to push for it, but Trent Baalke has final say on roster additions.
The Eagles have been linked to the Browns and the No. 2 pick. They do need a quarterback, but there has been some speculation that they reeeeeally like Ezekiel Elliott. It would be a pretty shocking move if they climbed up and grabbed Elliott. It would certainly throw the top of the draft board for a loop. They could very well end up with him at No. 8, but if another team wants to climb ahead of Philadelphia, maybe the Eagles push on it.