The San Francisco 49ers made a roster move on Thursday morning as John Lynch and the front office decided that bringing in another veteran running back was a necessity at this stage of training camp.
San Francisco invited several free agents to their training camp facility in the Bay Area to participate in tryouts on Wednesday, including some very familiar faces, and it did not take the coaching staff long to lock in on their top target. Thursday morning, the Niners made it official by signing the former second-round pick to a contract.
Interestingly enough, they elected against reuniting with the rusher that previously called San Francisco home in favor of a newcomer to the franchise.
49ers Snub Former RB to Sign Veteran Ameer Abdullah on Thursday
Former Detroit Lions second-round pick Ameer Abdullah is the newest member of the Niners as he beat out fellow free agent running backs Jeff Wilson Jr., Deon Jackson, and D'Ernest Johnson for a spot on the team's 90-man training camp roster.
The #49ers are signing veteran RB Ameer Abdullah, per @mzenitz pic.twitter.com/9uerKcwMTs
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) July 31, 2025
Abdullah spent the 2024 season as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders and performed quite well in a reserve role. Not only did the veteran average just under 5.0 yards per carry on 66 touches, but he also brought in 40 receptions for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Having that type of versatility out of the backfield is a luxury most teams don't have and should only make San Francisco more of a threat at that position behind All-Pro starter Christian McCaffrey.
The most interesting aspect of this signing could be the player whom the Niners passed up on bringing back to the Bay Area in favor of Abdullah, as Jeff Wilson Jr. enjoyed five seasons of steady production for San Francisco, rushing for over 1700 yards and 15 touchdowns over 45 games.
For one reason or another, Lynch and the front office felt Abdullah would provide more to the offensive attack than Wilson Jr. would, despite his familiarity with the system that Kyle Shanahan has in place.
This is why teams conduct tryouts like this, though. If Abdullah was the better fit for what the Niners need right now, he was the appropriate addition. Just because a player has a history with a team doesn't always mean that a reunion is what is best for both sides, and that appears to be the case in this scenario.