49ers release former running back from Missouri Schrader

Obstacles are nothing new for Cody Schrader. The former running back of the Missouri Tigers was released from the NFL by the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday.

Tuesday was the last day of reductions for NFL teams before the regular season, which begins on Thursday, September 6. Teams reduced their rosters from as many as 90 players in the preseason to an initial 53 players.

Schrader signed with the 49ers as a free agent after going undrafted in the draft in April. Schrader could still find a spot on the 49ers’ 16-man practice squad and has the opportunity to be promoted to the active roster if needed.

Schrader competed in a crowded running back room. Christian McCaffrey, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, leads the room as a dynamic dual-threat runner and receiver. Veteran Jordan Mason has been a reliable option for the 49ers over the past few seasons, taking 40 carries in 2023. San Francisco also selected running back Isaac Guerendo of Louisville in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszcyzk is also on the rusher roster. Juszcyk praised Schrader’s work ethic during training camp.

“I was particularly impressed with Cody Schrader,” Juszczyk said. “He works really hard. He’s very intelligent. He just goes out there and plays a good, consistent, clean game and we really enjoyed having him around.”

During the NFL preseason, Schrader received 18 carries for a total of 48 yards. He also caught two passes for eight yards. While the stats aren’t exactly spectacular, 49ers head coach Kyle Shannahan noticed Schrader’s efforts.

“He knows how to run the ball, he hits the right holes,” Shannahan said after the 49ers’ first two preseason games. “He doesn’t mess around, he lowers his pads and falls forward.”

Shannahan has used several running backs during his time as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator. Schrader may not have made the first round, but he could certainly still find a role with San Francisco.

The 31 other NFL teams have 24 hours starting at 3 p.m. Tuesday to sign any off-roster players, including Schrader. If another team has its eye on Schrader during the draft, it could add him to its active roster.

More likely, however, is that Schrader will be signed to San Francisco’s practice squad. Any player from the practice squad can be named to the team’s game-day roster three times during the season without actually being on the active roster.

Even if players from the training squad are included in the matchday squad, this does not mean that they will be among the 48 players who will actually take part in the match. The inclusion of players from the training squad in the matchday squad is often the result of unexpected injuries. Each team can use up to two rounds of training squad inclusion per week.

If Schrader is unsuccessful in the 2024 NFL season, he could get a shot with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). Schrader’s hometown team selected him in the second round of the UFL college draft in July. Schrader could spend the entire fall in the NFL and still choose to play for the Battlehawks if he hasn’t signed an NFL contract by then.

Schrader embodied what made the revival of the Missouri program possible in 2023. He began his career with the Tigers as a walk-on from Division II Truman State. In four years at Truman State, Schrader rushed for 3,084 yards and 39 touchdowns on 479 carries with an average of 6.4 yards per carry.

After transferring to Missouri, Schrader rushed for 691 yards and eight touchdowns on 157 carries in 2022, sharing the backfield with Nate Peat. Schrader burst onto the scene in 2023, leading the SEC with 1,627 yards on 276 carries. His 14 rushing touchdowns were the second-most in the conference.

Schrader tore through the defense in the second half of Missouri’s 2023 season, averaging 168.2 yards over the final five weeks of the season. He set a program record by rushing for over 100 yards in six consecutive games at the end of the season. His improbable performance in 2023 earned him some accolades, winning the Brandon Burlsworth Trophy for the best former walk-on player.

Schrader’s impact off the field was arguably just as important as his offensive production, and his work ethic and leadership qualities were closely tied to Missouri’s team chemistry in 2023.

“Cody Schrader was the most unique person and teammate I’ve ever coached in my entire career,” Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said at the 2024 SEC Media Days. “The toughness he showed on a daily basis, the diligence, how committed he was to doing his best.”

If history is any indicator, this firing will not be the end of Schrader’s NFL career.

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