The San Francisco 49ers finished up preseason play with their 30-23 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.
In that game, running back Jeff Wilson Jr. made things a lot harder for head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Coming into the game, the Niners were pretty decimated at running back. They have already had injuries to the likes of Corey Kiner, Ameer Abdullah, and Jordan James which opened the door for Wilson to come in and potentially rescue San Francisco's running back depth.
Wilson had a solid game, rushing the ball 11 times for 41 yards including a 5-yard touchdown run. It was a solid performance from a solid running back with whom Shanahan and the 49ers are very familiar.
The only problem is that San Francisco's recent acquisition of Brian Robinson Jr. from the Washington Commanders via trade could make it hard for the team to keep Wilson on the roster. Yet, Shanahan left the door open to Wilson making the team in his postgame presser.
Shanahan said, when asked about Wilson's chances of making the team, "Jeff's got a shot. I mean, love Jeff. One of my favorite players over the years and it was great to get him back in here. I think he's done a good job... definitely going to make it hard on us."
With all of the injuries San Francisco has sustained at running back, there is still a legitimate shot for him to make the roster even if the Robinson trade complicates matters. Some have argued Shanahan could end up carrying five running backs to begin the season, although that seems a bit excessive.
It seems most likely that the 49ers will carry four running backs. Christian McCaffrey, Robinson, and Isaac Guerendo will be the top three backs and that fourth spot in going to come down to the rookie James, who Shanahan said is close to coming back from a broken finger, and Wilson.
Wilson has done pretty much everything he could to make the cut. Yet, the Niners did like James enough to draft him in the fifth round of this year's NFL Draft, so if they think he will be healthy by Week 1, he may have the upper hand.
Still, Wilson has not made things easy on Shanahan as he prepares to make roster cuts on Tuesday.