Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors are swirling around the San Francisco 49ers at the moment, but one analyst thinks the Niners might benefit from shopping running back Elijah Mitchell — with the Dallas Cowboys as a potential trade partner.

Seth Walder of ESPN put together five hypothetical trades that would “make sense for every team involved.” For the 49ers, Walder proposed the following exchange:

• Cowboys would receive: RB Elijah Mitchell, 2025 sixth-round pick
• 49ers would receive: 2025 fifth-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick

While the Aiyuk trade rumors are understandably the talk of the Bay Area and beyond, this is one proposal that could absolutely benefit the 49ers. Let’s discuss.

Why Dallas Cowboys Might Want to Trade for 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell

In short, depth is an issue at running back for the Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freeman currently fill out the top of the depth chart at RB for Dallas.

“As much as running backs have correctly become devalued, those players probably aren’t good enough right now to lead a backfield for a Cowboys team with Super Bowl aspirations,” Walder wrote, adding: “Mitchell could be the answer, though.”

Mitchell’s best season was his rookie campaign in 2021, when he finished with 207 carries for 963 yards (4.7 yards per carry), five touchdowns and 1,100 total yards from scrimmage in 11 games (10 starts). A knee injury limited him to five games in 2022. He still averaged a career-high 6.2 yards per carry that year, finishing with 45 carries for 279 yards and two scores.

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Mitchell had a down year in 2023. He appeared in 11 games (one start) and amassed 281 yards and two touchdowns on 75 carries (3.7 yards per carry).

If back in 2021 form, Walder believes Mitchell could stand out quickly in Dallas.

“Mitchell would have a good argument to be the Cowboys’ best running back,” Walder wrote.

“He has averaged 0.4 yards over expectation per carry in his career, per NFL Next Gen Stats. While not an overwhelming figure, it is much better than what we can expect from Elliott, who has had negative RYOE per carry in each of the past three seasons. Dowdle’s RYOE per carry was slightly negative last season, too.”

49ers Have Stocked RBs Room, But Depth Is a Necessity

As it stands, Mitchell is set to serve as backup to All-Pro Christian McCaffrey. After those two, San Francisco still has some solid depth at running back.

“Kyle Shanahan recently indicated that Jordan Mason could also be in the backup mix. Plus, the 49ers drafted Isaac Guerendo in the fourth round and recently added Matt Breida,” Walder noted. “If San Francisco feels good about its running back depth, might it be willing to deal Mitchell — who enters the final year of his contract — for some draft compensation? Perhaps.”

Mason could be the key for San Francisco. The 25-year-old running back made the team’s roster as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech in 2022, and he has shown flashes ever since.

Mason has 83 carries for 464 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and four touchdowns over his first two seasons playing in a reserve role. If he emerges behind McCaffrey as San Francisco’s clear RB2, that would certainly make Mitchell more expendable. And if the Niners could get a future fifth-round pick and more for Mitchell, it might be worth letting him go.