Given the current state of affairs in its backfield, the San Francisco 49ers find themselves in need of a quick learning curve from rookie running back Isaac Guerendo.
San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey suffered a PCL injury in the 49ers’ defeat at Buffalo. McCaffrey’s injury won’t require surgery but he is expected to miss six weeks, which sidelines the Pro Bowler throughout the remainder of the regular season.
49ers running back Jordan Mason also sustained an ankle injury against the Bills and has likewise being placed on injured reserve.
That means San Francisco is turning to its rookie running back in Guerendo. A fourth-round selection out of Louisville in the 2024 NFL draft, Guerendo has carried 42 times this season for 246 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns.
San Francisco claimed running back Israel Abanikanda off waivers from the New York Jets, but the expectation is that Guerendo will be the 49ers’ featured runner in San Francisco’s Week 14 date against the Chicago Bears.
Thrust into a starring role, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan feels good about Guerendo’s readiness for that opportunity.
“I think he is ready to go. We were excited about, he got off to a late start with injuries in preseason. I thought he finished in those games well, especially that kick return he had versus the Raiders, I think.
“Did some decent things when he started out, didn’t get a lot of carries, had some ups and downs but got better through everything. And then when he got the bulk of the carries, I want to say some more versus Seattle, he only got better and he’s gotten better throughout the year. So, I think he’s ready for this,” Shanahan said.
Guerendo’s two best games of the season came during San Francisco’s Week 6 win at Seattle and in the 49ers’ Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
The 6-foot, 221 pound running back rushed 10 times for 99 yards in that 36-24 win at Seattle and 14 times for 85 yards and a 4-yard rushing touchdown against the Cowboys.
Shanahan said Guerendo is starting to get his feel for what it takes to run effectively in the NFL.
“I think just the urgency of running the ball in the NFL. I think it takes guys some time. You start to get a feel for it the more, if you’ve got the right stuff, the more you get reps, the more you can adjust to it.
“How hard you’ve got to hit stuff, how quick those holes close, how when there is a hole how you have to hit it full-speed and can’t hesitate at all or it closes like that. We’ve seen that stuff get better in practice and we’ve seen it carry over into games,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan also commented on the 49ers’ addition of Abanikanda.
“I liked him coming out of college. I haven’t studied him a ton in the NFL, but he was a guy that I had good notes on from college and liked. And I know our scouting department thought he was the best guy out there being available and stuff. So in our situation, especially glad to get him here,” Shanahan said.
The 49ers (5-7) host Chicago on Sunday with kickoff set for 1:25 p.m. PT and the game set to be televised on Fox. San Francisco is looking to end a three-game losing streak.
