5 Weeks Into The Season, This San Francisco 49ers Move Looks A Lot More Puzzling

When the San Francisco 49ers traded for Brian Robinson on August 24, 2025, the move was heralded as arguably the biggest of their offseason and one that could transform their offense. 

The 49ers were dealing with an injury-decimated running back room at the time, and Robinson brought lead back experience to that room for the 49ers. On paper, Christian McCaffrey and Robinson looked like they could be one of the best RB duos in the NFL. 

Especially since they were playing for Kyle Shanahan in a run-first offense. 

But Robinson hasn’t had much impact for the 49ers through 4 games. He has only 22 carries for 96 yards and no touchdowns. 

He is on pace to record only 408 rushing yards this season on only 99 attempts, both career lows by far. Why has it been such a down year for Robinson? 

Robinson’s Usage

The numbers suggest that Robinson’s shrinking numbers have more to with how the 49ers are using him and less to do with his own personal performance. 

Robinson actually has averaged more yards per rush (4.4) than McCaffrey (3.3). He also has a longer “longest rush” (19 yards) than McCaffrey (14). 

Despite this, McCaffrey has received over triple the amount of rushing attempts (69) compared to Robinson (22). 

McCaffrey is a bigger threat in the passing game but that doesn’t explain the disparity in rushing attempts. 

This decrease in rushing attempts would make sense IF the 49ers were working on acclimating him to the offense early in his career. The Kyle Shanahan offense is notoriously complicated. 

But no. Robinson’s season high in rushing attempts was in Week 1 when he had 9. He had 6 in week 2, only 2 in Week 3 and 5 in Week 4. 

Kyle Shanahan’s Playcalling 

Robinson’s shrinking carries also reflect a larger trend in the Kyle Shanahan offense. 

The Shanahan offense is typically run-first. But this season, the 49ers have overwhelmingly become a pass-first offense. They rank second in the NFL in passing offense and are bottom 5 in the NFL in rushing offense. 

The 49ers are the only team in the NFL without a rushing touchdown thus far. 

So, it’s not like a backup has outplayed Robinson or overtaken him in usage. Both third string running back Isaac Guerendo and fourth stringer Jordan James have not recorded a single rushing attempt this season. 

Remember, Guerendo had 84 attempts for 420 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. You could argue that Guerendo has it even worse this season than Robinson. 

This abandonment of the run is happening despite a 49er offense that is struggling mightily with injuries in the passing game. Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, Trent Taylor and Demarcus Robinson have all been limited by injuries (or in Demarcus Robinson’s case, a suspension) so far this season. 

On paper, Brian Robinson still plays an important role on this team. But will the 49ers ever use him enough for him to reach his full potential? 

And if they don’t start using him more, was dealing a sixth round pick away for him even worth it? The 49ers probably could have gotten the same production out of Guerendo in such a limited role. 

49ers fans, what do you think of Brian Robinson? Should the Niners start using him more?

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