San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo finally got some real NFL work in his third regular season game.
After getting one carry for no yards in Week 2, Guerendo had five carries for 19 yards in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams. He had another five-yard carry called back for holding.
While his numbers were pedestrian, 49ers offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster said Guerendo nearly ripped off a long touchdown run.
“Loved him. Loved him,” Foerster said in a press conference Thursday. “We had, oh man, if you guys watched the all 22, if you saw the play, [LG Aaron] Banks went up to get a linebacker and kind of didn’t go right at him, he kind of slipped and fell on his butt and, but it was right about on the 50. That’s a good feeling, right on the emblem. He fell backwards and missed the linebacker on that play. If he’d have got on that guy, there was a crease that he, I would’ve loved to see if he would’ve hit it. If he just could have, I thought he might have split the safety.”
The home run run plays have been missing from the 49ers’ offense so far this season. That one evaded Guerendo on Sunday, but Foerster’s comparison for the rookie fourth-round pick from Louisville indicates he could be seeing more time in the backfield soon.
“He reminds me of another 31 [Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert] we had here in his running style,” Foerster said. “He’s got that upright, good-speed running style. And I’m not putting him in that category yet, but he really does. I want to see him get a chance to get, we just haven’t gotten him the space yet. I like him. He’s got a ways to go, obviously. He’s got a lot of developing to do. And that position is a hard, tough position. But he’s nothing but a positive upside. He really looks to be that, I won’t say change of pace. Shoot, he could be your lead dog, but he’s got that little, that extra gear we’ve been looking for in a change between, Christian’s playing fast, JP’s playing fast, but he’s got a little bit something different from those guys.”
Mostert worked largely in a reserve role until 2019 when he broke out late in the year and sent the 49ers to the Super Bowl with a 29-carry, 220-yard, four-touchdown performance in the NFC championship game. His specialty with the 49ers was the explosive run play where every touch was liable to go to the end zone.
It would be a huge boost for the 49ers offense if Guerendo starts executing those big run plays the way Mostert did. Starting RB Jordan Mason’s longest carry of the season is just 24 yards. Having a threat in the run game who can flip the field or score a long touchdown on the ground would make life easier on the 49ers’ offense. And if Guerendo turns into Mostert, they need to start getting him the ball more often.
