Brian Robinson Jr. is heading to the San Francisco 49ers in a trade that sees the Washington Commanders recieve a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Robinson, 26, had been expected to depart the team before the start of the NFL season and is now heading to California to join forces with Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey.
Robinson, a running back, provides crucial depth around McCaffrey – one of the most talent players in the league in that position. But he missed nearly all of last season with a tendonitis issue followed by a knee injury which limited him to four games.
It’s an area where injuries have continued to hinder the team ahead of the new season, too. Patrick Taylor, Corey Kiner and Ameer Abdullah all got placed on injured reserve this month.
Fifth-round rookie Jordan James is also out with a broken finger, and second-year back Isaac Guerendo just returned to practice this week after missing time with a shoulder injury.
Robinson didn’t play in Washington’s preseason game on Monday night and was excused from practice earlier this week.
Coach Dan Quinn said an organizational decision had been made to hold Robinson out of practices and games and to keep players informed of the situation so they did not hear about it elsewhere.
Robinson´s time with the organization is perhaps best known for being shot twice in the right leg as part of a carjacking attempt in the summer of 2022 before making his NFL debut.
He missed the first month but returned to rush for nearly 800 yards and five TDs in 12 games, and a year after said he felt night and day from the aftermath of the shooting.
There is a growing expectation that the running back market will continue to be a busy one before the season begins at the start of September.
Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints are all said to be looking to make moves if the right player emerges.
The 49ers, meanwhile, also added a new wide reciever to their ranks earlier this week, trading for Skyy Moore from the Chiefs.
The 49ers start the season on September 7, on the road against Seattle Seahawks.
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