Despite being on injured reserve, Jerick McKinnon is still finding a way to contribute to his team’s playoff run.
The San Francisco 49ers running back, who has yet to play in a single game for them due to a torn ACL, has been giving his teammates tips for Saturday’s divisional playoff matchup against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings.
“He just sent us a text about how certain guys play,” said Niners leading rusher Raheem Mostert, per Cam Inman of The 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.’”
The 27-year-old McKinnon played for the Vikings for four seasons from 2014 to 2017 before signing with the 49ers as a free agent in 2018. He suffered the ACL injury in September of that year however and a setback in training camp this year derailed his 2019 campaign as well.
In spite of his absence, McKinnon’s teammates have gone out of their way recently to show their support for him, and he is returning the favor in kind.
