The San Francisco 49ers' running-back room just got a little deeper.
The Washington Commanders have traded Brian Robinson Jr., a 2022 third-round pick, to the 49ers in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday.
The Tusaloosa, Ala., native is in his last year of his rookie deal as he heads to San Francisco.
Robinson is coming off an impressive year, showing steady production, racking up 799 yards, eight touchdowns on 187 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per rush. His 57.1 yards per game show steady output, with a long run of 21 yards.
The addition of Robinson will give the 49ers a great option alongside RB Christian McCaffrey.
San Francisco was in need of adding healthy running backs behind starter McCaffrey after Patrick Taylor, Corey Kiner and Ameer Abdullah all got placed on injured reserve this month.
Fifth-round rookie Jordan James is also out with a broken finger, and second-year back Isaac Guerendo just returned to practice this week after missing time with a shoulder injury.
Robinson was one of a few players left who were drafted by Washington’s previous regime, led by Ron Rivera. A third-round pick in 2022, he was the Commanders’ leading rusher among running backs last season with 799 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns. He has 2,329 yards rushing and 15 TDs over the last three seasons.
General manager Adam Peters, who came from San Francisco, drafted Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round this year, and the rookie known as “Bill” was expected to share carries with Austin Ekeler and Chris Rodriguez Jr. after Robinson appeared to fall out of favour with the coaching staff.
Robinson didn't play in Washington's preseason game on Monday night and was excused from practice earlier this week. Coach Dan Quinn said an organizational decision had been made to hold Robinson out of practices and games and to keep players informed of the situation so they did not hear about it elsewhere.
Robinson’s time with the organization is perhaps best known for being shot twice in the right leg as part of a carjacking attempt in the summer of 2022 before making his NFL debut. He missed the first month but returned to rush for nearly 800 yards and five TDs in 12 games, and a year after said he felt night and day from the aftermath of the shooting.
Despite entering 2024 as NFC champions, San Francisco fell to a 6-11 record, ending with a losing season and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. A trail of injuries derailed their momentum, and the team ultimately finished last in the NFC West.
Robinson is the second veteran player added this week by San Francisco in a trade. The Niners also swapped late-round picks in 2027 with Kansas City in a deal to acquire receiver Skyy Moore.
The 49ers open their season against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 14th.
-- With files from the Associated Press
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