Former 49ers RB Tevin Coleman signs with the Jets on a one-year deal worth up to $2 million

We spent all offseason thinking the Jets would poach the unrestricted free agents on the 49ers. Robert Saleh took plenty from San Francisco, but it came in the form of their coaches and not their players. It’s been over a week, and Saleh hasn’t added a former Niner.

That changed on Wednesday as Ian Rapoport reported that the Jets are finalizing a deal with running back Tevin Coleman. The familiarity is there as offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur saw Coleman every day in practice during the past couple of seasons.

Coleman was supposed to make a difference for the 49ers in the passing game but was never used as we had initially thought. Coleman had 21 receptions for 180 yards in 2019, most of those came via screens and check-downs out of the backfield. Against the Jets, this past season was the first time we saw Coleman’s usage change, where the team let him run routes, but then he suffered an injury and didn’t see the field again.

Coleman had 14 attempts against the Jets before going down with an injury. Once he returned in Week 8, Coleman never had more than three touches in a game. He became an afterthought with the emergence of Jeff Wilson Jr. Perhaps, LaFleur will use Coleman more in the passing game with the Jets.