The San Francisco 49ers are moving forward without star running back Christian McCaffrey or backup Jordan Mason for the season's final five games. McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve Tuesday after suffering a PCL injury during Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills. Mason, sidelined by a high-ankle sprain sustained in the same game, is also heading to injured reserve.
The injuries leave rookie Isaac Guerendo as the team's primary running back for the remainder of the season. Backing him up will be Patrick Taylor, currently on the practice squad.
In response to the depleted depth, the 49ers claimed running back Israel Abanikanda off waivers from the New York Jets on Tuesday. The team is also reportedly signing Ke'Shawn Vaughn to the practice squad.
Here's what the 49ers' running back depth chart is projected to look like for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears:
- Isaac Guerendo
- Patrick Taylor
- Israel Abanikanda
This week, head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that the 49ers would promote Taylor to the active roster. He'll join Guerendo and Abanikanda, while Vaughn will likely remain on the practice squad.
The 49ers selected Guerendo in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Taylor, initially signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2020, joined San Francisco on April 8.
Vaughn, who spent training camp with the 49ers and has previous practice squad experience with the team, is already familiar with their offensive system. San Francisco also has a prior connection with Abanikanda, having met with him during the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
McCaffrey joins Elijah Mitchell on injured reserve. After requiring surgery to repair a hamstring injury, Mitchell's season ended in August. Mason is expected to join them on injured reserve soon.