The San Francisco 49ers have one of the best running backs in the league, if not the very best, in Christian McCaffrey. However, given his long and well-documented history of injuries, the team recognized the need for a reliable backup.
With that in mind, the 49ers acquired former Washington Commanders starter Brian Robinson Jr., who arrived in the Bay Area as an experienced and inexpensive pickup in the final year of his contract.
How Is Brian Robinson Jr. Adjusting to a Backup Role?
Unsurprisingly, Robinson’s role hasn’t been nearly as significant with his new team. With McCaffrey getting the vast majority of touches, the former Alabama star has been stuck in the pecking order. Even so, he is not dwelling on the situation.
If his time playing for coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide taught him anything, it was to remain patient and ready for his opportunity. “I came from a program in college where you have to wait your turn. You don’t come in and start, even if you have the talent and ability…it’s rare to start Day 1,” Robinson Jr. said, per Crimson Coverage. “It’s taught me to be patient, continue to stay down and work. When my time comes, I gotta be ready for it.”
The snap counts clearly reflect his secondary role. This season, Robinson has played just 109 snaps, far fewer than McCaffrey’s 570 and fullback Kyle Juszczyk’s 287. Robinson understands that his limitations in the passing game were one of the reasons the Commanders were not convinced he could be a three-down back.
Now, he is focused on improving that aspect of his game to offer a skill set closer to what McCaffrey brings to the table. “I want to start being able to do more things that he’s able to do, as far as catching the ball out of the backfield and stuff like that,” Robinson said. “And maybe that will bring more opportunities to me.”
Is Robinson Showing Signs of Improvement?
Despite the limited playing time, head coach Kyle Shanahan believes Robinson is getting more comfortable in the offense every week. “I think four weeks in a row he has had his best game,” Shanahan said, per Matt Maioco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “So each week it keeps getting better.”
That progress is starting to appear on the stat sheet, as he has now scored in back-to-back wins and logged 53 and 41 rushing yards in his past two games, respectively.
Getting on the field will not be easy. McCaffrey currently ranks 10th in the PFSN impact metric (81.6) among all running backs, making him difficult to replace. But given McCaffrey’s injury history, Robinson knows he is just one snap away from being thrust into a leading role. For now, he has to stay prepared so he doesn’t have to get ready.
