Where 49ers can turn with top two running backs headed to IR originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The 49ers will to need to add to their running backs room after losing both Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason to injuries in their 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Both running back will be placed on injured reserve, which means they will miss a minimum of four games starting in Week 14. McCaffrey suffered a PCL injury that coach Kyle Shanahan estimates will require at least six weeks of recovery, while Mason suffered a high ankle sprain.
Speaking to Mason after the game, the third-year back did not seem to be dealing with an ankle injury, but was seen with a wrap on his right arm in the locker room before the team flew back to the Bay Area.
The 49ers now will lean on rookie Isaac Guerendo, who has appeared in 12 games this season, registering 42 carries for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Fourth-year running back Patrick Taylor also will be in the mix.
“We have Guerendo, obviously, who will be up,” Shanahan said on Monday via conference call. “We have Patrick here, who is on our practice squad, who will definitely be bumped up now.
“[Taylor] was on our roster earlier this year before Christian came back. We will most likely have to look for another.”
Guerendo was the 49ers’ fourth round pick (No. 129) of the 2024 NFL Draft and is known for his 4.33 40-yards dash speed. Taylor is an undrafted free agent who is a big-bodied back at 6-foot-2, 217 pounds who spent his first three NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
A free agent that the 49ers could consider is Jerick McKinnon, who signed with the 49ers in 2018 before tearing his ACL during training camp. The Georgia Southern product knows the system well and could assimilate quickly.
Matt Brieda also is free agent who is familiar with the 49ers’ offense after he spent his first three NFL seasons in the Bay Area before stints with the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and New York Giants. Royce Freeman, who was a member of the Los Angeles Rams in 2023, also could be a candidate.
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