One of the quieter but more important battles facing the San Francisco 49ers before Week 1 is the one behind Christian McCaffrey. The team has plenty of uncertainty at running back, and the question isn’t just who can help spell the starter - it’s who can be trusted if McCaffrey is forced to miss real time again.
That concern is easy to understand after McCaffrey piled up a league-high 413 touches a year ago. He also missed all but four games a year removed from leading the NFL in touches in 2023, which leaves the 49ers in a tricky spot if they need a dependable option behind their All-Pro in 2026.
Right now, most of the attention is on Isaac Guerendo, Jordan James and rookie Kaelon Black. Those are the names getting the spotlight in the competition for the backup job. Patrick Taylor Jr. is not.
That’s a little surprising, because Taylor already gave San Francisco a useful answer in 2024 when McCaffrey was out. He made a start that season and finished with 39 carries for 183 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Before that, most of his value had come on special teams, but he showed he can handle offense in a pinch.
Still, Taylor is hardly the favorite to land the No. 2 job behind McCaffrey.
Black appears to have a strong organizational push behind him, even if his selection was viewed by the broader draft community as an overdraft. Guerendo is already under pressure entering 2026, and James is in the same general fight for a roster spot that Taylor is trying to win.
What keeps Taylor in the picture is his special teams value. He’s on a veteran minimum deal with no guarantees, but that kind of versatility matters when teams are trimming down to 53. His most realistic path may be as a third- or fourth-string back, with the possibility of squeezing Guerendo off the roster.
Even so, camp and preseason can change the whole shape of this competition. If Black or James stumbles, Taylor could move from afterthought to serious contender, and maybe even into the second-string conversation.
As unlikely as that sounds.
In Other News...
George Kittle Just Shared A Wild Kyle Shanahan Fight Story
George Kittle has a way of turning even a casual offseason memory into a full-on locker room story, and his latest one goes back to a 49ers trip to Cabo years ago. The tight end was talking about a golf outing that included both families and a few drinks, when a playful exchange with Kyle Shanahan escalated into a moment that sounded more like a backyard dare than a coach-player relationship.
For San Francisco, stories like that are part of the backdrop to a season that always seems to carry a little extra personality under Shanahan and Kittle. The same article also circles back to the roster picture, including Dre Greenlaws emotional return to the facility and the buzz around Jacob Cowing as a potential camp standout, but the Kittle anecdote is the kind of thing that reminds you how loose and human this group can be before the real football starts. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Camp Absences Suddenly Put Early Week 1 Focus On Four Names
The 49ers first week of training camp already has a different feel because of the names sitting out and the roster shuffling around them. General manager John Lynch said the team waived undrafted rookie tight end Khalil Dinkins with a non-football injury designation and brought in Tanner McLachlan, a 2024 sixth-round pick most recently with the Bengals, while defensive tackle Evan Anderson is expected to be released once a corresponding move is made.
More pressing for San Francisco is the group starting camp on the active/PUP list, with George Kittle, Isaac Guerendo, Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins all set to begin on the sideline. Lynch said Kittles rehab is coming along tremendously and that he is doing everything possible to be ready for Week 1, while Williams is also making every effort to be available for the opener even if that remains uncertain. [Read more 🡒]
5 Young 49ers Could Force Their Way Into Camp Battles
Training camp has a way of turning depth-chart guesses into real competition, and the 49ers have a handful of young players who could make that happen before the pads even come on. Jordan James, Jacob Cowing, Romello Height, Kurtis Rourke and Ephesians Prysock all arrive with different paths, but the same basic challenge: show enough early to make the staff keep them in the conversation for roles that are still very much up for grabs.
For some, the opening is obvious. Cowing can help himself on special teams even before he proves more as a receiver, while Height is the kind of edge presence the 49ers have been searching for in the right situation. Rourke is trying to stand out in a quarterback room that already has established names, and Prysock has a chance to make life interesting in the secondary. James, meanwhile, is in the middle of a backfield race that could be decided by who looks most ready when camp starts sorting out the pecking order. [Read more 🡒]