The San Francisco 49ers claimed running back Israel Abankanda off waivers from the New York Jets.

On Monday, Kyle Shanahan talked about his future running back room:

“Yes, we have Guerendo. Obviously he will be awake. We have (RB) Patrick (Taylor Jr.) here who is on our practice squad, who is definitely stepping up now, who was on our roster earlier in the year before Christian came back. And most likely we will have to look for another one.”

Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason are on injured reserve, so adding another defenseman was necessary.

Abanikanda was a 2023 fifth-round pick from Pittsburgh. He had 22 carries for 70 yards in 2023 but did not record a rush this season. He runs better outside despite weighing 216 pounds. At New York, Abanikanda averaged 4.1 yards on the outside, but only 2.8 yards on the tackle. He didn’t do much after contact, only averaging 1.9 yards.

Speed ​​was Abanikanda’s calling card. At the NFL Combine, he unofficially ran a 4.41 40-yard dash, but stumbled to 4.27 on his second attempt. If Abanikanda gets any touches on the ball, the Niners hope he gets some space to break a long run.

San Francisco also signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn to the practice squad and wide receiver Ronnie Bell, who was released last Friday evening. Vaughn has been in the squad since August and is no longer there.