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San Francisco 49ers
Washington Commanders
Aug 22, 2025 3:18 PM EDT
The Washington Commanders agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers on a trade to send running back Brian Robinson Jr. to San Francisco for a sixth-round pick, per Jordan Schultz.
Robinson has had promising seasons with Washington during his three years with the team, but reports say he lost the starting job to rookie running back Jacorey Croskey-Merrit in training camp, which led to this trade.
This works out well for both sides, giving Croskey-Merrit more opportunity to develop and providing Robinson the chance to get some reps in a Shanahan scheme known for bringing out the best in running backs as he enters a contract year.
Jul 24, 2025; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (8) carries the ball during practice on day two of training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images — Source: © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Many expected Robinson to finally have his breakout season in 2024 alongside Jayden Daniels, but an injury-riddled season and poor blocking up front prevented that opportunity. Now he gets a fresh start in San Francisco, as part of the committee backing up Christian McCaffrey.
The question is: What kind of role will he have with the 49ers?
San Francisco currently has Isaac Guerendo, Jordan James, Patrick Taylor Jr., and Christian McCaffrey in their running back room. James, a rookie out of Oregon, has been injured for most of camp. Taylor is currently on injured reserve, and Guerendo just returned to camp a few days ago after missing weeks with a shoulder injury.
Now that Guerendo has returned, it’s expected that he and Robinson will compete for the second-string spot behind McCaffrey. However, based on what we know about Kyle Shanahan, Guerendo might already be losing that competition.
This might surprise some, as the second-year back possesses remarkably impressive athletic traits, posting a 9.90 Relative Athletic Score at the combine, as shown below.
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The issue with Guerendo is his vision. Although he ranked third among 53 potential backs in 2024 for the highest percentage of rushes exceeding 15 yards according to Pro Football Focus, he struggled to maintain consistency on a down-to-down basis. Below is one key example of this:
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This isn’t a problem for Robinson, who lacks Guerendo’s elite traits but does have high-quality instincts and vision. He spent the 2024 season running behind an offensive line that Pro Football Focus graded as the fifth-worst run-blocking unit in the league last season, yet still managed a productive year. This is because Robinson simply hits the hole when it’s there and can find the cutback lane as well as anyone. The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen offers a great breakdown of him doing just that below:
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In San Francisco, Robinson will now be running behind a line that earned the third-best run-blocking grade in 2024. This will give him the opportunity to utilize that elite vision behind a top-tier run-blocking unit, and with his talent, provides the Niners with a reliable option when McCaffrey is off the field.
However, the concern with this situation is that they lost starting guard Aaron Banks in free agency, and left tackle Trent Williams is entering his age-37 season. Considering these factors, their performance might decline in 2025.
This is likely why they decided to trade for Robinson. His addition protects them from this potential regression, as he spent the 2024 season proving that he doesn’t need perfect blocking to be effective.
Ultimately, Robinson is likely to be the RB2 in San Francisco unless Guerendo took serious steps to improve his rushing IQ and vision this offseason. 49ers head coach and play-caller Kyle Shanahan is notorious for benching players who struggle to operate within his scheme, a key reason the rookie back didn’t see much action in 2024. Robinson, on the other hand, is likely to be a perfect fit for what Shanahan wants. For now, expect Robinson to handle most of the early-down snaps until Guerendo can better grasp the intricacies of the position.
About the Author
Jay Canale