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A 49ers running back unit that’s been decimated by injuries throughout training camp has received a meaningful reinforcement.
The team reportedly traded a sixth-round draft pick for Commanders veteran Brian Robinson Jr., who rushed for a career-high 799 yards and eight touchdowns last season with a Washington team that reached the NFC Championship Game.
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According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Commanders have agreed to pay at least some of the $3.4 million Robinson is due in the final year of his rookie contract.
Robinson, a 2022 third-round draft pick out of Alabama, is immediately the most accomplished player on the running back depth chart, behind starter Christian McCaffrey.
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The 49ers have high hopes for second-year tailback Isaac Guerendo and rookie fifth-round draft pick Jordan James, but Guerendo has dealt with a shoulder injury during training camp, while James has missed time after undergoing surgery on a broken finger.
It’s unclear whether the 49ers will immediately slot Robinson into No. 2 on their depth chart behind McCaffrey, considering Guerendo rushed for 420 yards and four touchdowns last season and has been poised to step into a larger role this year following the offseason trade of Jordan Mason to the Vikings.
After missing most of last season with injuries, McCaffrey is paramount to the 49ers’ ability to ease the burden on quarterback Brock Purdy and the passing game. Star left tackle Trent Williams said Thursday that McCaffrey looks like he’s returned to the form he showed in 2023, when he won the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Award, but the 49ers can’t exactly bank on him to play all 17 games, given his injury track record.
The addition of Robinson is a relatively low-risk move for a team that has struggled to keep players healthy, especially considering his acquisition didn’t require the 49ers to part with significant draft capital.
Robinson was held out of the Commanders’ last preseason game as trade speculation swirled around a player who opened training camp listed as the starter on the team's depth chart.
The addition fortifies a 49ers’ running back room that lost veterans Ameer Abdullah and Patrick Taylor Jr. to season-ending injuries during the preseason. San Francisco also waived injured undrafted free agent Corey Kiner, a rookie out of Cincinnati who appeared to be a candidate to make the team before suffering a high-ankle sprain Saturday against the Raiders.
Kiner is expected to miss at least a month with an injury that coach Kyle Shanahan described as “pretty bad,” leaving the 49ers with almost no choice but to pursue an outside addition.
Robinson won’t suit up for Saturday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, so his first action in a 49ers uniform could come during the team’s Week 1 matchup in Seattle against the Seahawks.