A year ago, being a San Francisco 49ers running back was arguably the most dangerous job in all of sports.
It's looking like that'll be the case again in 2025.
The regular season hasn't even started yet, and the Niners are already feeling some serious injury attrition at running back. While they've been smart not to field All-Pro Christian McCaffrey after he missed all but four games in 2024 with knee and Achilles issues, dealing with other banged-up rushers like Isaac Guerendo (shoulder), Jordan James (finger) and Corey Kiner (ankle) is nothing short of a headache.
That headache is getting worse, too, especially in light of San Francisco's latest injury news.
Having already lost running back Ameer Abdullah to a ribs injury suffered in preseason Week 1, subsequently landing landing on season-ending injured reserve, head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad is down yet another running back for the rest of the year in Patrick Taylor Jr., who suffered a separated shoulder in the 49ers' exhibition win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Taylor ended up on IR the Tuesday after suffering the injury, and it's important to point out how players who go on this list prior to Week 1 are ineligible to return for the rest of the year.
How will 49ers respond to latest RB injury setback?
The Niners subsequently used up Taylor's roster spot by signing veteran quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who'll likely compete with Carter Bradley for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart behind Brock Purdy and Mac Jones.
However, there remains a shortage of available tailbacks, especially in light of San Francisco's third and final preseason bout this upcoming weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers. Assuming Shanahan wants to save McCaffrey for the regular season, the only other fully healthy options are Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Jeff Wilson Jr., both of whom only signed amid the injury pile-up that led into the preseason.
Fortunately, Guerendo, James and Kiner aren't expected to miss significant amounts of time, and all three could potentially return for the 49ers' regular-season opener on Sept. 7. But even that optimistic hope might not be enough to prevent the Niners from exploring other transactions, including a would-be trade with the Washington Commanders for fourth-year tailback Brian Robinson, who is reportely on the trade block.
Until then, it might be wise for Shanahan to wrap his running backs in bubble wrap.
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