The San Francisco 49ers have continued to struggle running the ball, and third-string running back Isaac Guerendo continues to be iced out of the rushing attack. He has also been moved off kick-return duties on special teams, too.

A year after Guerendo put up respectable numbers in his rookie campaign, running the ball 84 times for 420 yards and four touchdowns, he seems to have completely fallen out of favor with the coaching staff and front office.

The Niners selected running back Jordan James out of the University of Oregon in the 2025 NFL Draft, which immediately put pressure on Guerendo. Then, San Francisco made a trade with the Washington Commanders for running back Brian Robinson, which bumped Guerendo down the depth chart even further.

The second-year pro has effectively remained on the roster because James has been unable to play with a hand injury, but it seems clear that if both players were healthy, the 49ers would favor James over Guerendo.

Guerendo does not have a single rush on the season, which has relegated him to special teams duties. He has returned five kicks this season for an average of 20 yards per return. Perhaps those rather paltry numbers are what got him moved off kick return duties in favor of Robinson.

Now, San Francisco’s two primary kick returners are Robinson and wide receiver Skyy Moore. Robinson returned two kicks last Sunday for 31 yards and 21 yards. He is not a prototypical kick returner given his build, and the fact that he is known more for being a power runner rather than a speed threat.

Moore has been decent as a returner this year, although he has certainly had his struggles both as a kick and punt returner in the past. This season, Moore has 13 kick returns for an average of 25.3 yards per return and a long of 38 yards.

We will see if Guerendo can earn his way back into the good graces of head coach Kyle Shanahan, but if his current trajectory continues, he may find himself out of a job once rookie Jordan James is ready to play.