Mason is getting regular first-team reps while Christian McCaffrey (calf) and Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) recover from injuries, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

EDGE Analysis

The opportunity is particularly interesting because there were reports of Mason challenging Mitchell for the second spot on the depth chart even before Mitchell and McCaffrey suffered their respective injuries. Mitchell's speed and running ability are proven commodities, but Mason may have advantages in terms of pass blocking and receiving skills, and nearly any player has the edge over Mitchell when it comes to durability. Maiocco notes that Mason has "greatly improved" his route-running and hands, making a case to be more involved on offense after taking nearly three-fourths of his snaps on special teams the past two years. That said, the injuries to McCaffrey and Mitchell aren't considered serious, so it's still possible Mason enters Week 1 mostly playing special teams. The San Francisco backfield also has rookie fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo, who has missed all of training camp with a hamstring injury.