T
he San Francisco 49ers keep making moves. On Aug. 22, the team shocked the NFL world when they acquired running back Brian Robinson in a trade with the Washington Commanders. Banged up heading into the 2025 regular season and lacking depth behind Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers pulled the trigger to land a starting caliber backup that is capable of contributing big numbers when needed.
The move helps the 49ers in a lot of ways and considering how they only dealt a sixth round pick, Robinson came at a bargain. CBS Sports graded the trade and viewed the 49ers as big time winners.
CBS Sports’ Grade for the 49ers
CBS gave the Commanders a C for only netting a late round pick for a player of Robinson’s caliber. But for the 49ers, CBS gave them an A. Robinson, who ran the ball 182 times for 789 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 4.3 yards per carry in 2024, is a very high-end backup and given McCaffrey’s health issues last season, they now have a very reliable option behind him.
“While McCaffrey is a prime bounce-back candidate after Achilles and knee injuries limited him to four games last season, it’s no guarantee he stays healthy for a full 17 games,” CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan said. “That injury-filled season in 2024 came after he led the NFL in touches back in 2023. The only other time McCaffrey led the NFL in touches (2019), he was limited to a total of 10 games over the next two seasons.”
A third round draft pick back in 2022, Robinson was in line to be the future at running back for the Commanders. He played well during his time there, but the acquisition of Austin Ekeler last season and the emergence of rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt during training camp left Robinson as the odd man out this season.
49ers’ Health Problems Led to the Move
Throughout training camp, rumors have swirled that the 49ers were looking to add some pieces before the start of the season, with receiver being a major position of need. And while the team did acquire Skyy Moore from the Kansas City Chiefs, the health problems at running back, notably with the recent injuries of Patrick Taylor and Corey Kiner, forced the team’s hand and led them to make a move to bolster that position group as well.
“Of course, each injury situation is different and don’t exactly correlate but this does show how a heavy workload one year can bleed into others down the line,” Sullivan said. “For the 49ers, gaining insurance in the event that McCaffrey (who turned 29 this summer, endures more injuries with someone with starting experience like Robinson is just good business, particularly at this price.”
“This is on top of fellow 49ers backs like Isaac Guerendo, Jordan James, and others have been dinged up this preseason as well, further thinning out the position group,” Sullivan added. “And it’s also not mentioning that San Francisco did trade away top backup Jordan Mason to the Minnesota Vikings earlier this offseason, so Robinson should be looked at as a much-needed depth addition.”
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