All signs point to Christian McCaffrey making his 2024 NFL season debut Sunday, but what does that mean for the rest of the 49ers running backs room?
While McCaffrey was rehabbing from bilateral Achilles tendinitis, backup Jordan Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo have been holding things down for San Francisco. With McCaffrey set to return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 49ers general manager John Lynch revealed how Mason and Guerendo's usage could be impacted.
"Throughout my years in the league, I think one of the coolest things is, you never like to see anyone get hurt, but when someone does or someone moves on to another team, opportunity presents itself," Lynch said Friday morning on KNBR's "Murph & Markus." "And who is going to step up and how are they going to step up? JP Mason has been a guy. When you make an NFL team as an undrafted free agent we cut a third-round pick at one point to keep him, so I think that speaks to you about him always being up to the task. JP kind of grinded through in this league as a backup player who closed out games but was a really good special teams player. He got his opp while Christian has been hurt, and he's really had a fantastic season.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"He's of the mindset that he'll be ready whenever we give it to him. And Isaac obviously has some special talent. We don't just draft workout warriors, we draft really good football players. ... He seems to be getting a little bit better each week. So obviously you still want to get those guys involved. They can both help on special teams. They can both help on offense. You'll still see plenty of those guys."
Mason broke out for the 49ers while McCaffrey was out, racking up 685 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 134 carries. But he injured his shoulder in the first half of San Francisco's Week 6 win over the Seattle Seahawks and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. He returned for Week 7 before re-aggravating the injury in Week 8.
The 49ers' Week 9 bye came at the right time as injuries began to pile up. Things were looking hopeful for Mason after he was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, but he was a limited participant the following day, making his status for Sunday uncertain.
Going down their RB depth chart, the 49ers then turned to Guerendo, who was selected No. 129 overall out of Louisville in the 2024 NFL Draft.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
The 24-year-old has made the most of his opportunities thus far, rushing for 186 yards on 25 carries in the past three games, with one touchdown.
When adversity hit the 49ers this season, both Mason and Guerendo each have proven they're more than capable of leading the backfield, which should allow the 49ers to play things carefully with McCaffrey, who Lynch said "looked terrific" at practice this week.
Lynch said the 49ers will figure out a snap count plan for the All-Pro back, and in the meantime, the backups will have to stay ready in case their number is called.