There is not a lot the San Francisco 49ers can take away after getting skunked by the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night in the divisional round, but they did get to finally take a look at rookie running back Jordan James, who has a good chance to be their backup running back of the future.
The Niners were out of the contest late, and running back Christian McCaffrey, who has had to carry so much of the load on offense all season, was clearly feeling the effects of the game. San Francisco wisely took him out and gave an opportunity to James.
He didn't look bad as he rushed the ball six times for 28 yards. Sure, it was garbage time, and the Seahawks were fine to let San Francisco run out the clock, but he showed some decent speed in his limited opportunities.
49ers' loss to Seahawks is a 2026 preview for Jordan James
San Francisco selected James in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of the University of Oregon. He was touted as a quick back and seemed like he could be a backup candidate depending on how he fared in training camp and the preseason, but a hand injury in camp kept him out for a while, and he was not needed for much of the year as McCaffrey and Brian Robinson Jr. carried the load in the backfield all season.
Eventually, James was healthy and eclipsed Isaac Guerendo on the depth chart. Guerendo's time with San Francisco seems all but over, which is a bit of a surprise after he showed promise in 2024, but clearly the Niners soured on him in 2025.
As for Robinson, the Niners traded for him ahead of the season as it became clear they were light on running back depth, and he was fine for the Niners, rushing for 400 yards and scoring two touchdowns on the year.
However, Robinson is set to be a free agent, so he may very well depart in the offseason to try and get an opportunity where he would get more touches, since he is kind of stuck behind McCaffrey on the depth chart.
That may very well mean that James will be RB2 on the depth chart next season.
General manager John Lynch said the team thought of his as a potential backup to McCaffrey before James got hurt, so don't be surprised if they just roll with him next season, especially if they want to spend money on other parts of the roster.
It was just a brief glimpse of James as he got his first career NFL carries, but do not be surprised if we see a lot more of him next season.