The San Francisco 49ers have signed a former New York Jets running back to replace the injured Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason. On Tuesday, the 49ers claimed running back Israel Abanikanda off waivers from the Jets. They made room for him by officially placing McCaffrey on injured reserve.
More news: Trevor Lawrence Breaks Silence After Scary Head Injury in Jaguars’ Loss to Texans Abanikanda was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Jets. He appeared in six games last year, rushing 22 times for 70 yards to go along with seven receptions for 43 yards. He’s yet to play for the Jets this season. 49ERS SIGN RB KE’SHAWN VAUGHN TO PRACTICE SQUAD
In addition to Abanikanda, the 49ers have signed running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn to the practice squad. He joins Patrick Taylor Jr. on the practice squad as the 49ers continue to add depth to the running back room. Vaughn, 27, has appeared in 43 career games in the NFL, all with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has 103 rushes for 384 yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 14 catches for 81 yards and a receiving touchdown in his career.
WHO IS THE 49ERS STARTING RUNNING BACK? While the 49ers have three other running backs now, the starter is going to be Isaac Guerendo. The 49ers drafted Guerendo in the fourth round of this year’s draft, and he has appeared in 12 games this season, rushing 42 times for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He also has five catches for 19 yards. Guerendo had some big games when McCaffrey was out for the first two months of the season. In Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks, he had 10 rushes for 99 yards. In Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys, he had 14 rushes for 85 yards and a touchdown, the first of his career. He got his second career touchdown this past Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
The 49ers will now rely on a rookie running back, with potential help from Abanikanda, Taylor, and Vaughn. This is a far cry from the running back room the 49ers expected to have at the beginning of the season. Entering the year, the 49ers expected McCaffrey to lead the charge, followed by Elijah Mitchell and then Mason. McCaffrey suffered a calf strain in training camp that turned into Achiiles tendinitis in both legs. Now, he’s on injured reserve with a PCL injury. Mitchell was placed on injured reserve before the season due to a hamstring injury he suffered in late August. Now, Mason is heading to IR, to
