The San Francisco 49ers were one of the worst teams when it came to performance on special teams last season. That is why a reunion with a familiar face in JaMycal Hasty could make some degree of sense this offseason.
San Francisco signed Hasty as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. The Baylor product seemed like he could be the next undrafted running back head coach Kyle Shanahan would turn into a key runner much like Matt Breida before him. Hasty’s 5-foot-8 frame and speed were enticing traits that could have made for a quick and elusive threat in the backfield.
Unfortunately, that is not how things worked out.
In two seasons with the Niners, he had 216 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and 30 receptions for 190 yards. He would also occasionally return kicks, too, returning three kicks for an average of 19 yards per return in 2020 and nine kicks for an average of 16.1 yards per return in 2021.
By 2022, Hasty had to compete with fresher faces in the team’s running back room like Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason. That meant Hasty was one of the odd men out when it came time to cut rosters down.
He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022 and saw some action, rushing for 194 yards and two touchdowns on the season. 2023 saw him on a few different teams but he did not receive any touches that season.
In 2024 he joined the New England Patriots and saw limited action, rushing the ball 20 times for 69 yards along with 10 receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. He also had 10 kickoff returns for 238 yards for a respectable 23.8 yard per return average.
Now, Hasty remains available in free agency. The 28-year-old seems unlikely to return to New England, so maybe the 49ers could reunite with him. It is not clear who will return kicks for the team next year with two of their primary kick returners in 2024, Deebo Samuel and Jordan Mason, both being traded. Isaac Guerendo and Ricky Pearsall may be in the running for kick return duties, but if the Niners do not want to expose them to injury then bringing in a cheap but experienced player like Hasty could be a wise move.
Plus, we saw last season how a team can never have too many running backs after the 49ers had to start four different players at the position due to a cavalcade of injuries.
We know Shanahan typically overlooks special teams, but Hasty could be a nice depth option for the team from both a running back and special teams perspective.
