It can be difficult to tell whether or not Sincere McCormick, a relatively unknown journeyman running back, is actually on the San Francisco 49ers' offseason roster. Based on the Niners' offseason transactions thus far, it appears the 25 year old rusher is the 90th player on a 90-man roster and frequently bounces off the fringes and back on again.
Yet there's a role for the 2022 undrafted free agent out of UTSA, one that might actually do him well in the future.
Probably not with San Francisco, though.
True, the 49ers have plenty of running back depth questions behind All-Pro Christian McCaffrey. Jordan James and Kaelon Black appear to be the favorites to battle for a coveted No. 2 role on the depth chart, while Isaac Guerendo appears to be the odd man out. On the surface, that won't leave many opportunities for McCormick to shine in training camp.
However, with McCaffrey now 30 years old and coming off a heavy-use 413-touch campaign in 2025, it's in the Niners' best interests to preserve him as much as possible.
That's where McCormick could make a dent.
Sincere McCormick could leave his impact on 49ers during preseason
McCaffrey likely won't play this preseason, saving his efforts for when the games actually count. And while the trio of James, Black and Guerendo should field enough of a competition during the remaining balance of exhibition bouts, McCormick might also warrant some field time, especially if he's the RB4 on the game-day depth charts. In effect, he might get plenty of late-game touches and pad his stats as a result, albeit in preseason fashion and against competition that'll likely not be on a roster, come September.
Back in 2024 when he was with the Las Vegas Raiders, McCormick averaged 4.7 yards per carry on 39 rush attempts, gaining 183 yards. So, it's not as if he's without any hope of cracking a 53-man roster and making an impact.
Yet his time with San Francisco might best be served as a preseason standout, not unlike names such as Jeremy McNichols, Ke'Shawn Vaughn or Corey Kiner in years prior. While those names never made a true impact with the 49ers, they at least increased their stock values to the other 31 teams across the league by having a solid exhibition phase.
That's what McCormick likely aims to do.
It's also likely the Niners give the fringe tailback plenty of action late in the preseason, meaning fans may enjoy getting to watch him in the third and fourth quarters of games. If there's an exciting play or two, McCormick might actually become something of a favorite.
Too bad it won't count much toward the regular season, though.
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