49ers must decide on future of depth RB who missed the 2025 season

Story by49ers must decide on future of depth RB who missed the 2025 seasonMike Masala, Niners WireFri, February 13, 2026 at 2:45 AM UTC·1 min read

The San Francisco 49ers are looking to improve their roster this offseason with the hopes of making it further than the divisional round, where their 2025 campaign came to an end.

With that, the 49ers have some critical decisions to make on 30 players who are set to hit the market when the new league year starts next month.

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Among those players in running back Patrick Taylor Jr. Let's take a closer look at that decision that Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch must make regarding the running back's future in the coming weeks.

Patrick Taylor 2025 season recap

After re-signed with the 49ers in March, Taylor suffered a shoulder injury in the team's preseason matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders that required season-ending surgery and landed him on injured reserve.

Potential replacements for Patrick Taylor

San Francisco needs to bring in one or two running backs this offseason to give Christian McCaffrey a break. Some of the best backup options on the market include Kenneth Gainwell, Isiah Pacheco, Michael Carter, Tyler Allgeier and Brian Robinson Jr.

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Internal candidates for the job include Jordan James and Isaac Guerendo.

What contract could Patrick Taylor receive as a free agent?

Taylor played last year on a $1.17 million deal. After missing the entire season, he'll likely make the league minimum again in 2026, which is expected to be $1.22 million.

Should the 49ers re-sign Patrick Taylor?

Taylor could be a serviceable backup for the 49ers in 2026, as he's rushed for 4.3 yards per attempt and two touchdowns while catching 17 passes for an additional 94 yards in his career.

Bringing him back on a one-year, veteran-minimum deal to compete for the job wouldn't hurt.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL free agency: 49ers must decide on future of RB Patrick Taylor

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