Travaris Cadet was one of the top free-agent running backs on the market when the San Francisco 49ers inked him to a contract on Nov. 10.
The fourth-year ball-carrier spent three seasons with the New Orleans Saints before joining the New England Patriots during the offseason. The Patriots parted ways with Cadet after Week 2 when LaGarrette Blount completed his suspension.
Cadet wasn't short on interested employers, however. A number of teams had the running back in for workouts or showed interest, including the Patriots again.
But Cadet opted to come out west.
"It was a tough decision," Cadet said. "This was kind of a new year for me. I've never gone through switching teams and going through visits and different things like that. I feel like San Fran was a great fit for what I do."
Cadet added that an injury in training camp set him back, but now that he's returned to full strength, he's ready to contribute on Sundays.
The 49ers bye week came at an opportune time for the team's newest skill player, giving him a chance to study the playbook and learn the offensive system.
"Now that I'm a part of another great organization, I'm just trying to take advantage of the opportunity," Cadet said. "It's about learning their way for how they do things. You learn every day. What you put in is what you get out."
During his time with the Saints, Cadet served mostly as a receiving specialist out of the backfield and as a return man on special teams.
The Appalachian State alum has 46 career receptions (one of those coming with the Patriots this season) and two receiving touchdowns, compared to just 11 carries on the ground. Cadet also has 1,293 career kick-return yards.
Despite not being heavily featured in the Saints ground game, Cadet told the media that he is capable of contributing to all aspects of the 49ers offense.
"Everyone knows me for my receiving, but I just want to do everything: running, blocking, receiving, special teams," Cadet said. "Whatever they need me to do, I'm here to do."
Cadet also has two games of experience playing against San Francisco's next opponent, the Seattle Seahawks. The ball-carrier said that communication is the most important thing in trying to deal with the noise at CenturyLink Field.
The short passing game could also be a way to offset the Seahawks potent pass rush, Cadet said. Seattle tallied six sacks in the first meeting between the two teams this season.
"Check downs will be big against a team like Seattle," Cadet said. "They're big, they have speed and they try to keep everything in front of them. Check downs will be big to get them off balance a little bit."
