Two days before the 53-man deadline, the 49ers’ backfield finally has a little order to the chaos. San Francisco missed the postseason in 2024 and has spent this summer reshuffling the deck behind its stars, trying to find the right mix of power, pace, and pass pro to carry them back to January. You could just feel Kyle Shanahan inching toward a call, and he did.
On Saturday, Shanahan quit hinting and finally laid it out. Asked about his newest running back, Brian Robinson, he didn’t bother with coach-speak. The man straight-up defined the role. For a locker room staring down the Aug. 26 cutdown deadline at 4 p.m. ET, that kind of clarity was exactly what they needed.
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Shanahan’s message left zero wiggle room. “We brought him here to be our No. 2 back. I’ve always been a big fan of Brian… We were pumped that he was available and pumped we could get him,” he said. Yeah, that’s one depth chart decision stepped in ink.
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#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on acquiring RB Brian Robinson: “We brought him here to be our (No.) 2 back. I’ve always been a big fan of Brian. Loved him coming out college… We were pumped that he was available and pumped that we were able to get him.”
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) August 24, 2025