49ers running back Jerick McKinnon has yet to play in a regular-season game with the team, despite two years on the roster. But he has found a different way to earn his keep.
McKinnon, who played for the Vikings from 2014 through 2017, has been sharing information with his current teammates about his former teammates.
“He just sent us a text about how certain guys play,” 49ers running back Raheem Mostert said, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “He’s giving us pointers like, ‘This is what you should expect out of this guy’ or ‘This is how this linebacker plays.’”
In today’s NFL, with players and coaches constantly moving from team to team, this kind of stuff is inevitable. And McKinnon’s knowledge of the Minnesota defensive players pales in comparison to what 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan knows about Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, based on their time together in Washington, what Cousins knows about Shanahan, and what Shanahan and Vikings assistant head coach Gary Kubiak know about each other.
Kyle Shanahan worked for Gary Kubiak in Houston, and Kubiak and Shanahan’s father, Mike, collaborated for 18 years in Denver (with Mike as an assistant coach and Gary as a quarterback), San Francisco (with Mike as offensive coordinator and Gary as quarterbacks coach), and Denver again (with Mike as head coach and Gary as offensive coordinator).