Last season, there was a bit of an ironic joke about how playing running back for the San Francisco 49ers was arguably the most dangerous job in all of sports.
Christian McCaffrey missed all but four games because of Achilles and knee injuries, while then-rookie Isaac Guerendo dealt with multiple setbacks. Now-Minnesota Vikings tailback Jordan Mason was banged up the second half of the season, and now-Kansas City Chiefs runner Elijah Mitchell missed the entire year.
Fast-forward to the start of 2025, and it appears as if nothing has changed. Guerendo is still banged up, but not rookie running backs Jordan James (finger) and Corey Kiner (ankle) are sidelined, while even Patrick Taylor Jr. is going to miss time with a shoulder issue.
So, it makes sense to see the Niners mentioned anytime there are rumors about a running back on the trade block, including the Washington Commanders' Brian Robinson.
Apparently he is, at least according to Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz:
Sources: The #Commanders have been shopping RB Brian Robinson Jr. to teams around the NFL.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 17, 2025
The former 3rd-round pick out of Alabama is entering the final year of his contract. pic.twitter.com/WKB21BVBZp
The emergence of rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt apparently helped push the elder Robinson into trade rumors, meaning the dual-threat veteran could be had as he enters the final year of his contract.
According to one well-respected analyst over at Bleacher Report, San Francisco might be one of the teams calling.
B/R links 49ers to Brian Robinson trade rumors
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton suggested five would-be trade packages for Robinson's services, and the 49ers were one of those included.
In the deal, the Niners ship out a fourth- and a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to land the Commanders tailback, who tallied 2,329 rush yards and 15 touchdowns over the first three years of his career.
Ironically, the trade proposal drew a comparison to the Mason trade earlier this offseason, which San Francisco might be regretting after suffering even more injury attrition at the position, and Moton didn't hesitate to include that in his rationale for the 49ers:
"In March, the 49ers traded Jordan Mason and a 2025 sixth-rounder to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2025 fifth-rounder and a 2026 sixth-rounder. Now, ironically, they lack depth in the backfield."
Moton underscored this by including how the Niners recently signed an old friend, Jeff Wilson Jr., to help supplement the shortage. And while every San Francisco tailback dealing with an injury is expected back sooner than later, the hard reality is the 49ers have something of a troubling reputation as of late for getting their running backs injured.
So, to spare McCaffrey from having to shoulder the burden of far too many touches, adding Robinson would alleviate the concerns.
Moton continued:
"If the 49ers want to lighten Christian McCaffrey's workload, they must add a durable running back to the rotation. Robinson can grind out yards between the tackles, which would allow McCaffrey to stay fresh for the length of the regular season."
Sure, such a trade would likely mean a quick end to Wilson's second stint in the Bay Area, and it'd likely cost the Niners the ability to retain Kiner, the promising undrafted free agent who has exceeded expectations early in the preseason thus far.
However, in the big picture, getting a complementary runner like Robinson to pair with McCaffrey might be the stronger move.