The San Francisco 49ers have once again been bitten by the injury bug.
This year, it’s the running backs room that has been most affected. Superstar running back Christian McCaffrey missed the first half of the season do to a lingering injury, and was only able to play in four games before landing on the IR again. Jordan Mason, who had performed admirably in McCaffrey’s absence, joined his teammate on the IR the very same day.
Now, it looks as though the 49ers may be down yet another running back, as Isaac Guerendo was forced out of Sunday’s game against the Bears with a sprained foot. While he’s considered day-to-day, San Francisco has a short week this week, and are set to face off against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
Should Guerendo be unable to go—and Shanahan said he thought he would be “surprised” if he was able to practice on Tuesday—the Niners will need to dive even deeper into the depth chart.
Per Matt Barrows at The Athletic, San Francisco will be turning to the trio of Patrick Taylor Jr., Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and Israel Abanikanda if Guerendo is officially out.
If no Guerendo on Thursday, the 49ers' RB pecking order likely will be:
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 9, 2024
* Patrick Taylor Jr.
* Ke'Shawn Vaughn
* Israel Abanikanda https://t.co/dMhunXn9GE
It was Taylor who stepped up for the 49ers against the Bears on Sunday, finishing the game with seven carries for 25 yards and a touchdown. He could be in line for the biggest game of his career on Thursday night.
While the plan is in place, Guerendo exuded confidence in the locker room after the Niners’ win. “Everything is fine,” Guerendo said. “They were just being cautious. We got a quick turn around this week so just making sure we are good to go.”
As things stand, he is not yet good to go. We’ll know more as we get closer to kickoff on Thursday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How 49ers' RB Depth Chart Shakes Out If Isaac Guerendo Misses 'TNF' vs. Rams.
