Brian Robinson was the Washington Commanders' top running back during the past three seasons. But entering his fourth season, Robinson became expendable and the Commanders traded him to the San Francisco 49ers. And now, as the 49ers prepare to open the season in Seattle, Robinson is busy learning Kyle Shanahan's playbook as Christian McCaffrey's backup. But he's preparing as if he's the starter.
"I've been a starter in this league, so with that being said, I know what it takes to prepare like a starter all the time, so nothing changed," Robinson told reporters on Friday. "I come here, and I prepare like I'm going to start every game. Regardless of Christian and him being a starter here, this is how I've got to prepare. I've got to prepare like I'm ready to start at any given moment. That's how you become a starter in this league—preparing like a starter when you're not the starter. That's how you become a starter in this league, and that's the way I prepare to play."
Robinson may have arrived in San Francisco as the backup, but considering McCaffrey's injury history and the news that came out on Thursday, about McCaffrey not practicing due to calf issues, Robinson may be called on sooner than he expected. But there is little concern that the former Washington running back can handle it. Through three seasons, Robinson has rushed for 2,329 yards and 15 touchdowns.
And he's arrived in Santa Clara with a chip on his shoulder after being traded.
"It's always going to be a chip that's on your shoulder because you feel like somebody turned their back on you," Robinson added. "You want to do everything to show them why that wasn't the best decision. I know that, and it's just up to me to just play with that chip on my shoulder and continue to show people why you should never count me out."
Robinson may always prepare as if he's the starter, but that chip on his shoulder is pushing him even more to prove that Washington made a mistake by trading him to the 49ers, a team that Robinson believed might draft him in the 2022 NFL draft.
"I kind of had a feeling about San Francisco coming up because they invited me here for a Top 30 visit, so I was able to come and meet with some of the coaches, the GM, and just meet them and get a feel for this facility back before I came out to the draft," Robinson said. "Not knowing how the draft was going to play out, but I did feel like this could possibly be a landing spot for me."
A little over three years later, Robinson lands in San Francisco, playing for a coach with a history of turning undrafted running backs into stars. But the first item on the agenda for Robinson is to learn that big playbook. After all, this is a different system than he's played in.
"Just taking it day by day," Robinson said. "Obviously, the playbook is pretty big, and just doing everything I can to just dive right into it and learn all the information I need to know going into game week. So, I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot as far as learning the playbook for where we're at, starting the season.
"...Just learning and retaining the information. It's a lot of plays in there, so obviously, I don't expect to have the playbook in full in one week, but constantly making that progress every day just to get there. I'm working on just getting everything down. I need to know the run game, pass game, and protection. I need to know that's all a part of being a running back."
It's hard to say what's bigger—the chip on Robinson's shoulder or Shanahan's playbook. But the 49ers' newest running back is confident he will be able to help the team win games. And depending on McCaffrey's health, the 49ers may need him sooner rather than later.