With the San Francisco 49ers' running back room decimated by injuries, which is apparently just the overall theme for this club in 2025, general manager John Lynch went out late last week and got an ironically healthy Christian McCaffrey a strong backup, making a trade with the Washington Commanders to acquire Brian Robinson Jr., giving up only a sixth-round draft pick in return.
Taken in the third round of the 2022 draft in the third round with the 98th overall pick, the Alabama alum missed the first four games of his rookie campaign after being shot in the knee and glute during an armed robbery (he and Ricky Pearsall should have a lot to talk about) but made a rapid recovery and quickly became the Commanders' top back.
He ultimately started nine of the 12 games in which he appeared and rushed for 797 yards and two touchdowns. And in the two seasons since, Robinson, much like McCaffrey, has become a dual threat, rushing for a combined 1,532 yards and 13 touchdowns between the 2023 and 2024 campaigns while adding 527 yards and four scores on 56 receptions.
So, if McCaffrey, who's missed 37 of a possible 84 regular-season games over the past five seasons, goes down again, the Niners have another genuine RB1 behind him. But that's not an issue Robinson has to worry about at the moment. In fact, during his introductory press conference, the Tuscaloosa native made it crystal clear that he knows what his job is heading into the regular season while also setting a lofty goal for himself and his new teammate.
"My job is to complement (McCaffrey) as well as I can and be the best duo in the league," Robinson said.
It's a simple statement but certainly one 49ers fans should be fired up about, as his goal is undoubtedly attainable for such a talented duo.
McCaffrey, when healthy, has been one of the top backs in the NFL for years, as evidenced by his 2023 campaign, during which he amassed 2,023 total yards from scrimmage en route to winning Offensive Player of the Year. So, the thought of him and Robinson working together is certainly intriguing.
Furthermore, given McCaffrey's history, Robinson's presence will allow CMC to rest a bit more instead of basically being forced to carry the workload in the backfield by himself.
Not long after the trade we went down, I opined that one of the big reasons why the Niners won the deal is that Kyle Shanahan, like his famous father before him, has a solid history of getting the most out of his running backs. And during his presser, Robinson made sure to mention that very same point.
I'm very aware of how coach Shanahan likes to run his offense with his backs. He emphasized that when he called me," Robinson said. "He was like, 'Look, you know what I'm about. I'm ready to show you how we get down.' I'm like, 'Look, I'm ready for it.' I'm totally aware of how he does his things here. I'm ready for it. I've been running the ball my whole life. I'm ready to just plug and play.
"I came here ready to play, and I want him to be able to use me like that. Whatever run scheme it is, he can throw me in, and I'm already ready to execute the plays."
Niners fans will get their first look at this new dynamic duo when San Francisco kicks off its regular season on September 7 against the Seattle Seahawks.