The San Francisco 49ers have been active on the trade market in the final days before the 2025 regular season commences.
Not because they necessarily want to.
General manager John Lynch and Co. have effectively been backed into a trade corner as of late, thanks almost entirely to a nearly unprecedented rash of injuries that have befallen the bulk of the 90-man preseason roster.
Wide receiver and running back have been hit particularly hard, which led to the failed attempt to land wide receiver John Metchie III from the Houston Texans but successfully acquired wideout Skyy Moore from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Lynch and the Niners have struck a deal with the Washington Commanders for running back Brian Robinson:
Trade: Commanders are trading RB Brian Robinson to the 49ers in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/bqYjKoxgl5
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 22, 2025
In return, San Francisco is sending a sixth-round pick back to Washington's general manager, Adam Peters, with whom Lynch has a working relationship from their days together in the Bay Area.
Remember, both Lynch and Peters executed last spring's blockbuster trade of wide receiver Deebo Samuel between the two teams.
Robinson, though, is a vastly different context.
Injuries highlight 49ers' desperation amid Brian Robinson trade
About the only positive the 49ers have had at running back between training camp and now is All-Pro Christian McCaffrey returning to form after missing all but four games in 2024 because of injury.
Behind him, it's bleak. The Niners already lost rushers Ameer Abdullah (ribs) and Patrick Taylor Jr. (shoulder) to season-ending injuries, while undrafted rookie Corey Kiner was waived/injured with a severe high-ankle sprain, and he subsequently reverted to injured reserve after clearing waivers.
Others, including second-year pro Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) and rookie Jordan James (finger), have missed time as well.
So, grabbing Robinson isn't exactly a luxury move. It's a desperate one.
The third-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft has bested 700 rush yards over his first three seasons in the league, although it's fair to question whether or not he's a natural fit in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. A modest pass catcher, the 6-foot-1 Robinson at least gives Shanahan a workable backup to support McCaffrey and guard against injuries elsewhere.
That said, the reason for the acquisition only highlights how bad things have gotten for a Niners team that seemingly deals with serious injury attrition on a yearly basis.
It's hard to conclude Robinson is going to fully alleviate that.