Jordan Mason has played well beyond what the 49ers could have hoped in the absence of Christian McCaffrey. He became the NFL’s leading rusher midway through Thursday Night’s win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to finish it after sustaining a shoulder injury in the first half. He headed into the locker room and was questionable to return. He made it back on the field for the first snap of the third-quarter in which he carried the ball for eight yards. However, he went directly to San Francisco’s sideline wincing while shaking his shoulder and didn't return the rest of the night.
The 49ers don’t play for another 10 days, so hopefully that’s enough time for Mason to rest up. After all, they’ll be facing the Kansas City Chiefs in a highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch.
But what if Mason isn’t able to go? The 49ers' running back has crushed it for fantasy players and those who've backed his props all year long, so it's worth knowing who'd potentially replace him if he's still hurt.
McCaffrey still hasn’t returned to practice, so that means the rest of the running back room would have to step up. The good news is they did just that in San Francisco’s 36-24 win over the division rival Seahawks.
Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. carried the load, combing for 15 carries with Mason sidelined. Guerendo ran the ball 10 times for 99 yards, including a 76-yard dash with 1:39 to go to essentially ice the game. Meanwhile, Taylor carried the ball five times for 16 yards while also hauling in a 12-yard reception.
So, who exactly are Guerendo and Taylor?
The 49ers selected Guerendo in the fourth-round of this year’s NFL Draft. He had only 12 carries for 41 yards heading into the game, averaging 3.4 yards per carry. He virtually tripled that Thursday night, averaging 9.9 YPC.
San Francisco traded up to grab Guerendo with the 129th overall selection, sending the Jets a pair of fifth-round picks to make sure they got him. Guerendo carried the ball 132 times for 810 yards (6.1 YPC) with 11 touchdowns as a senior for Louisville last year.
Meanwhile, Taylor’s a four-year veteran who originally signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He spent four seasons with the Packers while also having a cup of coffee on the New England Patriots’ practice squad before joining the 49ers this spring.
He had 65 career carries entering Thursday for 261 yards and one touchdown. Taylor’s also appeared in three playoff games over his career but has had just three carries for six yards.
Meanwhile, five-year veteran Ke’Shawn Vaughn is on the team’s practice squad. A former third-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, the five-year veteran has more experience than Guerendo and Taylor.
Vaughn’s appeared in 43 games, carrying the ball 103 times for 384 yards and two touchdowns. He was seldom used in the passing game with Tampa Bay, though, catching just 14 passes for 81 yards and one TD.
