The San Francisco 49ers lost kick returner Skyy Moore to the Green Bay Packers in free agency.
That loss makes it even more essential they bring back free-agent running back Brian Robinson Jr.
The Niners traded for Robinson ahead of last season when it became clear their depth chart behind star running back Christian McCaffrey was simply not acceptable. Players were banged up, and given McCaffrey's injury history, it made sense to get an experienced back like Robinson.
San Francisco had to part with a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to land him, but it was a smart move. Robinson wasn't exceptional by any stretch, but he stayed healthy and was least able to help spell McCaffrey when he needed a breather. Not only that, but Robinson also ended up being a very effective kick returner.
At the beginning of the season, the 49ers had Moore and backup running back Isaac Guerendo handling kickoff duties. Guerendo was removed from kick-return duties after a few weeks as the coaching staff seemingly grew to trust him less and less, and they threw Robinson back there instead.
Robinson is not known for his speed. He is known as a between-the-numbers running back who can grind out a couple of yards but is probably not going to make too many explosive plays. The longest run he had with San Francisco last season was for 19 yards.
Yet, for whatever reason, he did quite well when returning kicks. He returned 13 kicks for an average of 29 yards per return with a long of 46 yards. His average was actually higher than Moore's, although Moore did return far more kicks than Robinson did.
Maybe his success had more to do with the kick coverage and special teams unit blocking for him, but whatever it was, he certainly fared well.
Robinson probably shouldn't be the primary kick returner for the 49ers if they bring him back, but having him back there as an option does increase his value.
Obviously, the most value he'd bring is as a backup to McCaffrey. Robinson had 400 rushing yards and two touchdowns last season. That's not incredible by any stretch, but he's at least a proven runner, which is more than can be said for Jordan James, the third man on the depth chart by the end of last season whose only NFL experience came in garbage time of the loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Robinson seemed to hint that his time with the Niners may be over, and the fact San Francisco brought back Patrick Taylor suggests it may be preparing to move on from Robinson.
Maybe he will end up being too expensive, but the Niners could be losing valuable depth behind McCaffrey and a surprisingly good kick returner.