49ers sign former 2nd-round pick RB as Christian McCaffrey injury insurance

Billy Heyen

49ers sign former 2nd-round pick RB as Christian McCaffrey injury insurance image

The San Francisco 49ers need Christian McCaffrey to be healthy.

In order to bounce back from a rough 2024 season, an injury-free campaign from CMC is paramount.

Last year, the 49ers struggled all year, and it's in large part because McCaffrey missed almost the entire campaign with two separate and serious injuries.

Despite that, San Francisco let its running back depth chart get thinned out this offseason. They traded Jordan Mason to the Vikings.

That left second-year back Isaac Guerendo as the main backup to McCaffrey. They also have Patrick Taylor and fifth-round rookie Jordan James.

But this week, the 49ers have added to the mix.

San Francisco signed Ameer Abdullah, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.

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Abdullah is one of the oldest running backs in the league, at 32, but he has a strong pedigree.

Abdullah was once a second-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2015.

Since then, Abdullah has suited up for the Vikings, Panthers and Raiders after leaving Detroit.

Overall, Abdullah has played in 141 NFL games, including 26 starts.

Last season with Vegas, Abdullah ran for 311 yards and two touchdowns and caught 40 passes for 261 yards and three more scores.

At this point in his career, Abdullah is still an occasional dual-threat out of the backfield. He also has some history with playing on special teams.

The 49ers hope they don't need to figure out how much Abdullah has left in the tank, but he's a worthwhile signing at this point in the summer, just in case.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle