The San Francisco 49ers have suffered through numerous running back injuries over the years, seemingly coinciding with when head coach Kyle Shanahan came to town. From Christian McCaffrey to Jordan Mason to Isaac Guerendo to Jordan James to Corey Kiner, this problem has reared its head again to begin 2025 prep.
There's nothing inherently wrong with the 49ers that's created so many ailments, but it might just be the nature of the position. It's difficult to take on so much physical responsibility, and few human bodies are built to handle the workload that running back demands.
Unfortunately, another San Francisco halfback has now suffered an ailment and will reportedly miss multiple weeks.
Same timetable for RB Patrick Taylor Jr. (dislocated shoulder), per Shanahan. https://t.co/uWCkg66dqx
— Noah Furtado (@_noahfurtado) August 16, 2025
49ers RB Patrick Taylor Jr. Suffers Dislocated Shoulder
Less than 10 days after James needed to undergo surgery, veteran Patrick Taylor Jr. is on the sidelines as well. According to Shanahan, he'll have the same return timetable with a dislocated shoulder as Kiner, who is dealing with a high ankle sprain. No reports have clarified if they'll be ready for Week 1.
It's bad news for a team that's seen previous running backs succeed early in the preseason, and the depth chart is getting thinner by the day. McCaffrey, who can't be trusted to stay on the field, is seemingly the last man standing, which says a lot more about the health of San Francisco's options than McCaffrey himself.
Aside from McCaffrey, the other four backs under contract are now all dealing with injury. That'd be bad under normal circumstances, but it's even more precarious when you're rapidly approaching Week 1 on September 7 against the Seattle Seahawks, hoping to return to the playoffs.
Taylor, who impressed by averaging 4.7 yards per carry for San Francisco with a 53.8% success rate in 2024, had a chance to become a prototypical Robin to McCaffrey's Batman. There's nothing he can do about a dislocated shoulder, yet it's disappointing nonetheless for his future prospects.
This adds even more pressure on Shanahan and Brock Purdy's shoulders. Purdy just became one of the richest men in NFL history, and he'll now be asked to make lemonade out of a sour batch of lemons. Deebo Samuel is gone, Brandon Aiyuk is hurt, and Jauan Jennings is disgruntled along with also being injured. George Kittle and McCaffrey can only do so much, so it'll be on Purdy to prove he was worth the contract.
If James or Taylor can get back before the regular season, there are at least creative options to look at. At this point, it looks like San Francisco's rotten luck has struck again.