With time ticking down to their Week 1 matchup against the Seahawks, the 49ers made a late addition to their 2025 offense on Friday.
Per Adam Schefter, San Francisco is acquiring running back Brian Robinson Jr. from the Commanders. Robinson became a very recent trade candidate as Washington signaled its desire to lean on other options from its backfield, giving the 49ers a chance to scoop up a former starting running back.
However, given the fact that Kyle Shanahan already owns an All-Pro back in Christian McCaffrey, where will Robinson slot in on the team’s depth chart?
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Here’s a breakdown of the 49ers’ running back room following Friday’s trade.
MORE: Full Brian Robinson-49ers trade details
49ers RB depth chart
| Rank | Player |
| 1A | Christian McCaffrey |
| 1B | Brian Robinson |
| 3 | Isaac Guerendo |
| 4 | Jordan James |
1A. Christian McCaffrey
Robinson does have three seasons’ worth of starting experience in the NFL, but barring any injuries, the most utilized player in Shanahan’s backfield will still be McCaffrey. A 2024 season in which he appeared in just four games does slightly cloud McCaffrey’s outlook, but at his best, he’s arguably the most talented weapon in the NFL.
As recently as 2023, McCaffrey led the league in rushing with 1,459 yards plus 21 total touchdowns. The expectation is that he’s good to go for 2025 following Achilles issues last season, with 49ers LT Trent Williams recently saying McCaffrey’s “100 percent healthy.”
As long as that’s the case, the addition of Robinson should not affect McCaffrey’s playing time. If anything, the two could be on the field together a lot; NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported following the trade that the 49ers “envision often utilizing [Robinson] and Christian McCaffrey on the field at the same time.”
That’s why McCaffrey and Robinson are listed as 1A and 1B here, as they’re both capable of starting but with differing skill sets. If and when they do see the field together, McCaffrey and his 4,465 career receiving yards will make for an elite pass-catching option, helping mask San Francisco’s injuries at wide receiver entering 2025, while Robinson will function as a more traditional back who can gain short yardage or capitalize on goal-line touches.
Ideally, for Shanahan and his coaching staff, the 49ers can still deploy McCaffrey and his do-it-all skills while adding in Robinson for rushing situations. That would both give defenses new looks and lighten McCaffrey’s rushing load in his ninth NFL season.
Realistically, however, injuries almost always play a role in McCaffrey’s NFL seasons, and Robinson gives San Francisco a starting-level back they can rely on if their two-time All-Pro weapon is out.
The first few weeks of the regular season should offer a better insight into the McCaffrey-Robinson dynamic, but expect the two running backs to both see playing time, with McCaffrey primarily helping mask the 49ers’ beat-up wide receiver room and Robinson getting additional rushing opportunities.
MORE: How Jets’ RB depth chart looks with Breece Hall, Braelon Allen entering 2025
1B. Brian Robinson
Robinson, 26, joins the 49ers with three consecutive seasons with at least 700 rushing yards to open his career. He’s reliable, and reliable is something the 49ers could use in their backfield given McCaffrey’s injury history.
Coming off an eight-touchdown 2024 season, Robinson should see a solid amount of goal-line work in a San Francisco offense that usually ranks among the NFL’s best. If McCaffrey’s healthy, Robinson won’t be an every-down player, but he’ll still be valuable as a change-of-pace weapon and short-range rusher.
In three of his NFL seasons, McCaffrey has also played in under half of his team’s games due to an injury. That also makes Robinson a key insurance piece for the 49ers, should the injury bug bite McCaffrey once again in 2025.
Chances are, Robinson isn’t going to hit the 180-carry threshold in 2025 that he did annually in Washington. His utilization may be lighter in a new offense, but you can still expect him to find the end zone, provide McCaffrey with some rest and fill in as a top back when he’s needed to.
3. Isaac Guerendo
In terms of the 2025 outlook, Guerendo is likely to see the biggest hit from the 49ers’ most recent trade. He was originally set to be the top backup option to McCaffrey, as he was in 2024, but the addition of Robinson will limit Guerendo’s opportunities.
As a rookie in 2024, Guerendo filled in for McCaffrey often during his injury issues, rushing for 420 yards and four touchdowns. That level of production can’t be expected again in 2025, given he has two players with starting experience ahead of him on the depth chart.
Guerendo has dealt with some injuries in camp, as has rookie Jordan James, so the Robinson trade also helps mask those recent issues for San Francisco.
If injuries decimate the 49ers’ offense again this season, it could change things, but Guerendo now becomes more of a backup option following Friday’s trade. If McCaffrey misses any time, he could still see some snaps. The title of top 49ers backup now goes to Robinson, though.
MORE: Who will start at running back for the Cowboys in 2025?
4. Jordan James
San Francisco also has fifth-round rookie Jordan James in its backfield, but it’s unlikely he’ll have much of a role this season. With two starting-level options ahead of him on the depth chart, plus a player in Guerendo who started plenty of games last season, James’ rookie season isn’t expected to involve much playing time.Â
James spent three seasons at Oregon in college, including 1,267 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns with the Ducks in 2024. Long-term, he could emerge as a legitimate weapon for the 49ers, but there are too many other talented players in the offense to expect James to have a role in 2025.
