The running back position took a massive hit in Week 13 for the San Francisco 49ers.
Christian McCaffrey (knee) and Jordan Mason (ankle) sustained injuries in the loss to the Buffalo Bills. Both players will be placed on Injured Reserve and will be out for the season. That means rookie Isaac Guerendo will be the starter for the remainder of the season.
Guerendo has shown flashes this season with his opportunities. However, being the starter and rotating in are two very different things. Guerendo might not be the same explosive player as a starter since he will receiving double digit carries. He could end up tiring out and struggling to hold up.
But that isn’t something Kyle Shanahan is worried about. He believes that Guerendo is ready to be a starter and can do it well.
“I think he is ready to go,” Shanahan said. “We were excited about, he got off to a late start with injuries in preseason. I thought he finished in those games well, especially that kick return he had versus the Raiders, I think. Did some decent things when he started out, didn’t get a lot of carries, had some ups and downs but got better through everything. And then when he got the bulk of the carries, I want to say some more versus Seattle, he only got better and he’s gotten better throughout the year. So I think he’s ready for this.”
Guerendo has been an exciting player to watch. He’s always generating an explosive play, which factors into his +82 rushing yards over expected, per Next Gen Stats. Anytime he gets the ball, he is always a threat to take it for a chunk gain. The offense won’t fall off with him starting.
As Shanahan stated, it wasn’t an ideal start to the season for Guerendo. Injuries derailed him at the beginning, but he’s managed to develop as the season has progressed. His growth has not gone unnoticed by Shanahan, which is why he has the utmost confidence in Guerendo handling the starting duties.
“I think just the urgency of running the ball in the NFL,” Shanahan said. “I think it takes guys some time. You start to get a feel for it the more, if you’ve got the right stuff, the more you get reps, the more you can adjust to it. How hard you’ve got to hit stuff, how quick those holes close, how when there is a hole how you have to hit it full-speed and can’t hesitate at all or it closes like that. We’ve seen that stuff get better in practice and we’ve seen it carry over into games.”
Don’t be surprised if Guerendo goes off this week against the Chicago Bears who boast a middling run defense. The only question with him is how he can handle the workload, but that likely won’t be answered until after a couple more games.
