SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers’ vaunted running game suddenly hinges on three tailbacks who have never made an NFL start.
That includes the top player at the position, rookie Isaac Guerendo, who famously started just one game in five college seasons — Louisville’s bowl game last season. Prior to that, Guerendo said on Wednesday, his last start at running back came when he was in the fourth grade.
Nobody could catch Isaac Guerendo when he was a fourth grader. The 49ers’ rookie, however, hasn’t made many starts at RB since. (That’ll change in Sunday) pic.twitter.com/5FdF0rXRDV
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 5, 2024
There’s an asterisk, of course. Guerendo was one of the fastest players in the state of Indiana and mostly played wide receiver through high school. When he arrived at decidedly run-heavy Wisconsin in 2018, he switched to running back and played behind future second-round pick Jonathan Taylor.
“A school like Wisconsin — they ran the ball a lot and I just saw a big opportunity, and I ended up making the switch,” Guerendo said.
GO DEEPER
Ready … set … gone! Why tailback Isaac Guerendo is so enticing to the 49ers
The rookie has another big opportunity beginning Sunday against the Chicago Bears. A knee injury to Christian McCaffrey and a high ankle sprain for Jordan Mason leaves Guerendo at the top of a depth chart in an offense that’s been in the top 10 in rushing yards for the last four seasons.
Leaning on rookies has become a theme for the 49ers in 2024. Dominick Puni had to step in at right guard in September. Malik Mustapha has been starting at safety since October. And Renardo Green has been a starter at cornerback since November.
Now in December, they’re turning to Guerendo, who looked wobbly at the start of the season but began to find his footing in the 49ers’ wide zone attack at midseason. He had 99 rushing yards in a Week 6 game in Seattle and 85 yards — and his first touchdown — in Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys. Guerendo’s 5.9 yards per attempt leads all 49ers’ rushers this season and a strong finish would make them feel good about the position in 2025.
“I think he is ready to go,” said Kyle Shanahan, who noted that Guerendo was hurt for most of training camp but looked sharp in the preseason finale in Las Vegas and has been making steady progress since.
“If you’ve got the right stuff, the more you get reps, the more you can adjust — how hard you’ve got to hit (holes), how quick those holes close, how when there is a hole how you have to hit it full speed and can’t hesitate at all or it closes like that,” Shanahan said. “We’ve seen that stuff get better in practice and we’ve seen it carry over into games.”
Meanwhile, the running back the 49ers signed on Tuesday, Israel Abanikanda, also has no NFL starts.
Abanikanda, 22, said Wednesday he thought the 49ers might draft him in 2023. Not only do they use the zone-running system he played at Pitt, he got a barrage of phone calls from running backs coach Bobby Turner that April.
“Oh yeah — me and him had a good connection before the draft,” Abanikanda said in front of his new locker.
The New York Jets took Abanikanda in the fifth round (No. 143 overall). The 49ers, who had drafted running backs in the third round the two previous years, chose cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (155) and defensive end Robert Beal Jr., later in the fifth round.
In New York, Abanikanda was stuck behind Breece Hall, Braelon Allen (who also started ahead of Guerendo at Wisconsin) and never made a mark. He was a healthy scratch in every game this season. In San Francisco, he already is third in the running back pecking order behind Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr., who was promoted to the 53-man roster on Wednesday. Taylor, 26, has the most experience of the group — 72 carries in four seasons — but also has no starts. The team also signed Ke’Shawn Vaughn to the practice squad.
“It wasn’t a big surprise,” Abanikanda said of winding up in San Francisco. “The scheme was similar and stuff. It was no surprise, but I’m definitely happy and eager for the opportunity.”
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Odds and ends
• The 49ers opened safety Talanoa Hufanga’s (wrist) practice window this week. He was limited in practice while wearing a club on his right hand.
Asked if the club would be a hindrance, Hufanga said he was figuring out how to use it to his advantage — for example, for punching the football and causing fumbles.
“I’m trying to look at how it can benefit me,” he said.
• Aaron Banks (concussion), Trent Williams (heel/ankle), Nick Bosa (hip/oblique), Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (knee) and Mason (ankle) missed practice. Shanahan said the 49ers still plan to place Mason on injured reserve, which would cause him to miss at least four games.
Asked if he was certain that Bosa, who hasn’t practiced in three weeks, will be able to return at some point this season, Shanahan said, “I mean, I’m not God, but I think he’s got a chance to play this week. So I would think that would lead to getting a better chance each week. But I don’t know the answer to that.”
Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (knee) was limited. Both quarterback Brock Purdy and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, who were on the practice report last week, were full-go on Wednesday.
• Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) also continues to practice on a limited basis. Because Sunday’s game is followed by a Thursday game against the Los Angeles Rams, Greenlaw’s first game back likely will be against the Rams in prime time.
“We haven’t decided fully yet, but we’ll see how this week goes,” Shanahan said. “But most likely Rams, hopefully.”
It seems like Rams week — a Thursday night game — might mark Dre Greenlaw’s return to the playing field. pic.twitter.com/MSlSR6Ivzc
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 4, 2024
• Shanahan sloughed off the fact that first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall has no catches in the last three games.
“I think Ricky got a little banged up in Green Bay, battled through that a lot, still was able to play a lot through it and helped us out at punt return,” Shanahan said. “And I don’t judge much from that Buffalo game. I think we had six completions that were screens, and I think four other guys had like a 4-yard catch except for Jauan Jennings on a skinny (post). There was nothing really with Ricky there. We had a chance to hit him downfield one time and he slipped, but that was nothing against him for that game.”
Pearsall was not on the injury report coming out of the game in Green Bay.
(Top photo: Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)
