The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly trading for Washington Commanders' running back Brian Robinson Jr., a move that will cost the Niners a 2026 sixth-round pick.
The problem isn't necessarily the player, so much as what he represents, which at this juncture, feels like a whole host of things.
Yes, like the move for wide receiver Skyy Moore, this move is just as much about a need to fill a hole in the roster as it is about improving the team. Like the wide receiver position, running back is turning into a black hole of injuries this offseason, as outside of Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers have seen each of their running backs miss time during training camp and preseason due to injury.
But the biggest thing that trading for Robinson appears to represent is just how the Niners feel about second-year back Isaac Guerendo, who filled in quite admirably for an oft-injured McCaffrey and his backup Jordan Mason as a rookie. Guerendo ran the ball for 420 yards on 84 attempts, scoring four touchdowns, adding 15 receptions for 152 yards.
The problem is that while he played in 16 games as a rookie, he was in and out of the lineup for most of those games, although early on, that was due to Mason's dominance. But while the then-rookie only missed one full game due to injury, his availability inside of games waxed and waned.
And now, he's seen an offseason plagued by injuries, first related to the knee issue he suffered near the end of last season, and then a shoulder from early August that has caused him to miss the first two preseason games.
This doesn't mean the 49ers believe any less in Guerendo's ability on the field. All things being equal, they would have prefered to not spend a draft pick to bring in Robinson and to be able to trust Guerendo's health.
But, while Robinson's presence isn't entirely about Guerendo, it is telling about whether or not the 49ers feel they can trust him to always be ready to play this season.
It doesn't seem like it.
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