The San Francisco 49ers made headlines in late August with a trade for a running back.
They picked up Brian Robinson Jr. in a deal with the Washington Commanders to bolster the RB depth chart in the Bay Area.
The move did provide a bit of a negative signal to one of the running backs already in the building behind Christian McCaffrey, though.
Second-year back Isaac Guerendo went from direct backup to a third-stringer.
MORE: Derrick Henry reveals his retirement plans
On Wednesday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about that move, and he had a long answer about Guerendo and Robinson:
"I don't think that he's gotten lost," Shanahan told reporters about Guerendo. "I just think he's competing. He was the third back last year and then a couple guys got hurt and he got an opportunity and I thought he did well with his opportunity. But that didn't mean he was the first or second back all of a sudden. He had to come into camp and still compete with guys and he got hurt really early and missed a lot of time to compete.
"We brought Brian in. We've studied him over his career and based off of that we put him ahead of him (Guerendo). And that's how we are starting out and we'll see how it goes throughout the year."
Guerendo was chosen in the fourth round in 2024 after spending his college career at Wisconsin and Louisville.
MORE: Josh Allen paints a beautiful picture of a Super Bowl parade in Buffalo
As a rookie, he got the chance to make three starts out of the 16 games he played.
In his action, Guerendo ran 84 times for 420 yards and four touchdowns, an average of 5.0 yards per carry.
He also caught 15 passes for 152 yards.
Guerendo is known for his speed and showed himself to be explosive as a rookie. He still might have a strong future in San Francisco, but the time since the Robinson trade has amounted to a step back for right now.
MORE NFL NEWS:
- This Ravens rookie was a star in his college rocket club
- This Shedeur Sanders and Arch Manning comparison makes a lot of sense
- Saints just signed their next Taysom Hill
- Johnny Manziel reveals crazy NSFW hatred for Cleveland Browns
- Devin Hester Jr. is great at returns, but he isn't the Bears' Hall of Famer's son
- Why Jets chose QB Justin Fields over 'celebrity' Aaron Rodgers