The San Francisco 49ers’ dreadful season got worse in Week 13 when running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason both suffered injuries that will land the RBs on IR.
McCaffrey will miss at least six weeks with a PCL injury in his knee, while Mason will have to work his way back from a high ankle sprain. With only five games left in the season it wouldn’t be a surprise if both players missed the rest of the year.
That leaves a pretty substantial void in the 49ers’ backfield where Mason and McCaffrey had accounted for 203 of their 340 rushing attempts. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in a conference call with reporters explained how the team plans to operate with McCaffrey and Mason both sidelined.
“Yeah, we have (rookie RB Isaac) Guerendo. Obviously, he’ll be up,” Shanahan said. “We’ve got (RB) Patrick (Taylor Jr.) here who is on our practice squad, who will definitely be bumped up now, who was on our roster earlier in the year before Christian came back. And we’ll most likely have to look for another.”
Guerendo is a fourth-round pick who has 246 yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries this season. Taylor signed with the 49ers in the offseason and spent time on the active roster before McCaffrey returned from Achilles tendinitis. He posted 25 rushing yards on seven carries before getting cut to make room for McCaffrey. The 49ers re-signed Taylor to the practice squad shortly after he was let go.
This is a prime opportunity for Guerendo to carve out a long-term role. With Mason due to hit free agency next offseason, the 49ers may be looking for a No. 2 RB to slot in behind McCaffrey and Guerendo will be their top option if he performs well as the lead back.
The likely option for San Francisco when they bring in another RB is Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who was on the 49ers practice squad after spending the preseason with the team. Veteran Matt Breida was also with the club in the preseason, but he never re-signed to the practice squad. Vaughn’s familiarity with the team and the offense make him a logical choice unless the 49ers like another free agent as a potential long-term option and want to give him some looks in practice.
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