The San Francisco 49ers have to feel much better about their running back situation heading into the season after the trade for Brian Robinson Jr. However, general manager John Lynch’s recent comments could spell trouble for Isaac Guerendo.
Appearing on KNBR last week, Lynch talked about the running back room and seemed to suggest that rookie Jordan James would have been ahead of Guerendo on the depth chart if he had been healthy:
“The idea of going with a rookie as your number two back, going into a season when he’s barely had practices, that’s a really tough thing to do. And so we remain high as can be on Jordan James. Think he’s going to be a fantastic player for us,” Lynch said.
“Isaac Guerendo is still in the mix, but we felt like it was important to have another back. It’s just the way things go at that position. And we feel like there’s some unique things we can do with Brian in there.”
49ers GM John Lynch puts the pressure on RB Isaac Guerendo
It is very interesting that Lynch seemed to view James as being ahead on the depth chart. He almost mentions Guerendo as an afterthought. Guerendo had a respectable rookie season in 2024. He saw quite a bit of action due to all of the injuries the team sustained at running back and had 420 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
After the team traded away Jordan Mason in the offseason, many assumed that Guerendo would be the No. 2 back behind Christian McCaffrey. The team did bring in some competition by drafting James and signing Corey Kiner as an undrafted free agent. However, all three players got injured in training camp and the preseason, which is part of why San Francisco felt the need to go out and add Robinson.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has already said that Robinson will be the team’s No. 2 back on the depth chart, which means Guerendo is No. 3, at least for now. James is a bit behind schedule as he missed time with a broken finger, but based on Lynch’s comments, it would not come as a huge shock if he leapfrogged Guerendo on the depth chart at some point this season.
The second-year pro had a good rookie campaign, but he is learning the hard way that you can always be replaced. He will have to take advantage of whatever touches he gets in practice to demonstrate that he is still a viable option on the depth chart.
