49ers Limiting Frank Gore’s Playing Time Next Season?

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports that a source with knowledge of the situation has cited 49ers RB Frank Gore‘s heavy usage early on in the season as the reason why his production diminished down the stretch.

Barrow mentions that Gore was dealing with “an array of nagging, smaller injuries by midseason” and the hopes of him returning to form during the playoffs never happened. Barrow even writes that the team may look to add another running back during the offseason.

The one thing that you can expect to see next season is a larger role for backup RB Kendall Hunter. San Francisco may look at a more even split between the two running backs but Gore will have to play better if he’s going to hold off Hunter for the duration of the 2012 season.