The San Francisco 49ers are taking a gamble heading into the 2026 season.
Despite bellcow Christian McCaffrey coming off a 413-touch season, the Niners showed no urgency to add significant depth to their backfield. They let backup Brian Robinson Jr. walk and elected to reach for Indiana prospect Kaelon Black in the third round instead.
It's clear San Francisco thinks highly of the tailback, but there is another name that is slated to be the No. 2 man on the depth chart, one fans haven't heard much of since draft day of 2025.
Jordan James could be ready to make his mark, as he is expected to step into one of the most important backup roles in the league. Of McCaffrey's last six years, he has played in double-digit games just three times. At the ripe age of 29, he is not getting any younger.
Introducing 49ers' most important 2nd-stringer
Niner fans know very little about the Oregon product as an NFL player to this point. The fifth-round pick is unproven, but his college numbers and scouting profile resemble those of another former Duck who has already begun to make a splash in the league.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Bucky Irving and Jordan James finished within 87 rush yards of each other in their respective final seasons at Oregon, with the latter slightly outpacing the former. Though Irving averaged more yards per carry and was more of a factor in the passing game, it was James who found the end zone 15 times on the ground.
At 4.55, the two registered the exact same 40-yard dash time at the combine and received a near-identical athleticism score. Both are slightly undersized at around 5-foot-9, but Jordan outweighs Irving by nearly 15 pounds.
Though banged up last year, Irving has quickly established himself as an effective back. In his rookie season, he seized the starting role and didn't look back, finishing with 1,514 yards from scrimmage.
San Francisco can only hope that James possesses some of the talent and effectiveness that his Oregon counterpart has demonstrated in his young career. If he does, the running-back room will look much less tedious than it does at the moment.
The only action James saw last year was in the 41-6 embarrassment against the Seattle Seahawks in the postseason. He received garbage-time touches, but he did well with what he was given, gaining 28 yards on his six carries and adding one catch for an additional 7 yards in the process.
It's true James has done virtually nothing in the NFL to this point, but coach Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the staff must have seen enough from him to determine he is ready to take on a significant role in the upcoming season.
In what is shaping up to be yet another stacked NFC West, the Niners better hope their gamble pays off, especially if CMC goes down with yet another significant injury.
Add us as a preferred source on Google