Tag: Isaac Guerendo

4 49ers rookies change jersey numbers after final cuts

Hot of the presses! New jersey numbers are out for 49ers rookies:

The San Francisco 49ers had a quartet of rookies change their jersey numbers once the dust settled from final cuts.

Cornerback Renardo Green, safety Malik Mustapha, wide receiver Jacob Cowing and running back Isaac Guerendo all made number changes ahead of the team’s Tuesday bonus practice according to the Athletic’s Matt Barrows.

Green, who rocked No. 31 during the preseason, changed his number to 0. That jersey was previously worn by CB Samuel Womack, who was waived at final cuts. The Indianapolis Colts claimed him off waivers.

That jersey number has only ever been worn by Womack in 49ers history. He began wearing it last season when the NFL changed its jersey number rules.

Mustapha wore No. 43 in the preseason, a traditional safety number. He will now wear No. 6 in the regular season. He joins Deommodore Lenoir and Charvarius Ward as players wearing single digits in the 49ers secondary. Safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Ji’Ayir Brown wear 29 and 27, respectively.

Cowing was another player who wore a traditional number for his position in camp. His preseason jersey number was 83. He’ll now wear No. 19, which was most recently worn by WR Deebo Samuel. Samuel changed to No. 1 this offseason.

During camp, veteran WR Trent Taylor rocked the No. 19 jersey. He was released and then re-signed to the practice squad. His new numbers is 81 since he didn’t retain his jersey number after camp because of his release.

Perhaps the most notable change is Guerendo, who wore No. 49 in the preseason. That is an objectively atrocious number for a running back. He’s now wearing No. 31 – still not great, but better than 49.

Green and RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn were both No. 31 in camp. Vaughn was waived and re-signed to the practice squad. Green, of course, relinquished 31 to take No. 0.

We may see plenty of these jerseys on the field in the season opener on Sept. 9. Green could be the team’s starting slot corner, while Guerendo and Cowing could both start as returners on special teams.

The rest of the rookie class will apparently retain their numbers. First-round pick Ricky Pearsall is No. 14, third-round pick Dominick Puni is No. 77, and seventh-round pick Tatum Bethune will stay with No. 48.

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49ers rookie impresses coaches with improbable debut

In his preseason debut on Friday, the former Louisville running back carried the ball 11 times against the Raiders.

After the rookie running back suffered a hamstring injury at the start of training camp, the San Francisco 49ers have been without their 2024 fourth-round pick for most most of camp and the first two preseason games. Yet, after returning to practice earlier in the week, Isaac Guerendo made his highly-anticipated preseason debut on Friday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.

In his first preseason game in the NFL, it didn’t take long for the former Louisville Cardinal to make an impression. In the second quarter, Guerendo took back a kickoff return for a 93-yard touchdown. Along with a blazing run to the end zone on kickoff, Guerendo added 32 yards on 11 carries and two catches for three yards.

On Sunday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to members of the media on a conference call where he praised Guerendo’s performance on Friday against the Raiders. When talking about the rookie running back, Shanahan noted the lack of padded practices Guerendo has had since suiting up for the Senior Bowl in February.

I thought he did a real good job, especially since it was the first day he had shoulder pads on since the Senior Bowl. He got hurt our first day of practice and then the two practices we had before the Raiders week were unpadded practices. So for him to go that long without putting pads on, I really liked how he ran. He tried to break tackles, never eased up on contact, tried to run through it, hit the holes well and had a real good first game.
After spending five seasons at Wisconsin, Guerendo transferred to Louisville for his final season. With the Cardinals. Guerendo rushed for 810 yards on 132 carries with 11 touchdowns. Guerendo added 22 receptions for 234 yards.
Guerendo’s standout performance should likely bounce him up the depth chart and into the conversation for Christian McCaffrey’s backup alongside Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Former Wisconsin running back sets NFL record with new kickoff return

Former Wisconsin running back sets NFL record with new kickoff return

Former Wisconsin running back Isaac Guerendo is in the NFL record books, at least for the time being.

The former Badger and Louisville Cardinal set the record for the longest dynamic kickoff return of the 2024 NFL preseason on Friday. Since the new return rules were implemented this year, his return of 93 yards is the longest.

Related: Every former Wisconsin Badger currently on an NFL roster entering 2024 training camp

The new NFL kickoff rules put the kicking team on the opposing 40-yard line, the receiving team on its 35-yard line and the returner inside his own 20. Nobody can move until the return man catches the ball, creating a much different dynamic than players blitzing down the field in the old model.

Guerendo is a perfect player to take advantage of the new play. His speed, vision and athleticism are all tested as the convergence of blockers and defenders creates a handoff-like situation.

Unfortunately, the former Badger was tripped up four yards before the goal line. Otherwise, a 97-yard return touchdown could have been in position to serve as the record for an extended time.

Guerendo was a fourth-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 NFL draft. He played for five years at Wisconsin (2018-2022) before transferring to Louisville after the 2022 season.

He never won the full-time job with the Badgers, mostly because of the emergence of Braelon Allen during the 2021 season. Wisconsin was never able to properly utilize his speed during his tenure with the program, speed which was on full display while rushing for 810 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023 with the Cardinals.

The former Badger and Cardinal is a lock to make the 49ers roster as a depth option at running back. He was slow to progress during training camp due to an early injury. That is now in the past as demonstrated by his game-breaking play on kickoff return.

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Rookie Isaac Guerendo of 49ers returns kickoff 93 yards

Finally, a long dynamic kickoff return. It didn’t go for a score, though

The new dynamic kickoff rule in the NFL has been anything but that in the preseason. Finally, there was a long return in the last weekend of the preseason.

Isaac Guerendo of the San Francisco 49ers took a Las Vegas Raiders kickoff and returned it 93 yards. Guerendo is a fourth-round pick out of Louisville.

No touchdown as he was brought down short of the goal line.

The Raiders got a long return of their own, this one for a score. Tyreik McAllister took a 49ers punt 81 yards in the third quarter for six points.

WATCH: 49ers rookie has huge kick return in preseason debut

This is one way to stake a claim to a roster spot.

How about San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo?

The fourth-round pick suffered a hamstring injury on Day 1 of training camp that kept him out until the final week of the preseason. He finally got into a game when the 49ers had their final exhibition game Friday night at Allegiant Stadium against the Las Vegas Raiders.

It was clear early on why the 49ers selected Guerendo. He looked comfortable on an early kick return and put together a couple of nice runs on offense where he showed the same smooth running style that made him successful in college.

The Raiders had a punt return for a touchdown that cut the 49ers lead to 10-7, and then Guerendo went to work on the ensuing kickoff with a 93-yard return.

That’s the kind of thing a player can do to help himself make a roster after getting virtually no practice or game action in before the regular season.

Guerendo got to the sideline, then made a couple of great cuts before running through contact and getting into the open field. His speed was also evident before he ran out of gas and got chased down.

Coaches will want to see him switch the football to his outside arm when he gets to the sideline, but that’s a small nitpick compared to the big play he generated. Guerendo was on the outside looking in at a roster spot entering Friday, but plays like this one will help his case.

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49ers hopeful 2 injured rookies will make debuts in preseason finale

2 49ers rookies haven’t made their preseason debuts yet, but there’s hope that’ll change in Friday’s preseason finale.

The San Francisco 49ers have nearly navigated their three-game exhibition slate with only one game left Friday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

One of the notable pieces of the 49ers’ preseason has been the absences of rookie first-round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall and rookie fourth-round running back Isaac Guerendo.

Neither player has suited up for a preseason game yet. Pearsall has barely practiced due to hamstring and shoulder injuries, while Guerendo hasn’t suited up since hurting his hamstring on Day 1 of training camp.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Sunday indicated the team hopes to get both Pearsall and Guerendo back in practice ahead of their preseason finale. That would put the pair on track to get their first taste of preseason action when the 49ers visit the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

“Yeah, that stuff is always tough when guys get hurt and they’re not out there,” Shanahan said. “Especially when guys get hurt right away. So that was so good for [WR] Jake [Cowing] to be able to go through this week, stay healthy through this week, and get to play in that game. Hopefully expecting to get [RB] Isaac [Guerendo] back next week. So hopefully practice will go well, and we can take a look at him in the game. Hopefully [WR] Ricky [Pearsall] will get there too.”

Cowing set a strong bar for offensive rookie performances when he debuted against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. He caught four of his five targets for 51 yards, and took his lone carry for 19 yards. Despite missing a ton of time, Cowing looked ready to contribute in the NFL.

The hope is for Pearsall and Guerendo to hit the ground running the same way.

San Francisco will treat their third preseason game as a dress rehearsal for the regular season with starters seeing at least a little playing time. Then they’ll give way to players like Pearsall and Guerendo, who should both receive ample opportunities given their overall lack of playing time in camp and the preseason.

If neither player can suit up or produce in their first game opportunities, it’s worth wondering whether they’ll be effective at all in their rookie seasons. If one or both put together an outing like Cowing did in his debut, they could become bigger factors in their position groups.

However, both Pearsall and Guerendo figure to be a larger part of San Francisco’s offensive plans beyond the 2024 campaign. Not that they can’t contribute in Year 1, but there’s plenty of depth ahead of both players on the roster. That should change next season where the team may rely heavily on their two 2024 draft picks.

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Should you handcuff San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey?

Here’s how you should approach San Fran RBs in fantasy leagues.

The San Francisco 49ers transformed their franchise prior to the trade deadline in 2022 with a blockbuster deal to acquire Christian McCaffrey. After mixing and matching running backs for years, McCaffrey has brought stability to the 49ers’ running game since his arrival.

In 2023, McCaffrey became the first 49ers running back since Frank Gore in 2014 to rush for more than 1,000 yards. He authored a dominant season that put him in the MVP conversation and earned his way to the consensus top pick in fantasy drafts. With the ultimate investment that comes with the first overall pick, in many cases fantasy managers opt to use their last running back selection on the No. 1 guy’s backup. In San Francisco, that’s a dicey option.

This situation is especially importing given a calf injury has McCaffrey, fantasy’s consensus top pick, set to miss the entire preseason.

The most obvious choice would be fourth-year man Elijah Mitchell. In his 2021 rookie season, Mitchell ran for 963 yards in 11 games. But he has been all but invisible since Run CMC arrived. In hindsight, Mitchell’s inability to stay healthy helped force the 49ers’ hand to make the McCaffrey trade. In three seasons, the 49ers played 51 total games. Of those, Mitchell was available for only 27 of them.

Because of the lack of confidence that Mitchell can stay healthy, the 49ers need a Plan C option. Jordan Mason was an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has kept a roster spot by playing special teams and finishing off lopsided wins. However, in two seasons, he has 83 carries for 464 yards and four touchdowns

The wild card is rookie Isaac Guerendo. Despite turning 24 in June after spending five injury-filled seasons at Wisconsin before transferring Louisville last season, Guerendo rushed 132 times for 810 yards, caught 22 passes for 234 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in part-time duty a year ago. However, what makes him somebody to keep an eye on is his 4.33-second 40 time at the combine that vaulted him to being drafted early on Day 3. If the 49ers offense wants to operate the same as it does with McCaffrey is he’s down, Guerendo may be the most similarly explosive player.

Fantasy football outlook

Most teams have a clear handcuff option in the event their primary back goes down. The 49ers don’t, in part because they constantly dealt with injuries and timeshare changes before McCaffrey arrived.

At one point, their primary rusher was Deebo Samuel, due to a rash of injuries. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk, while sparsely used in the offense, could step up and be a goal-line sniper. The Niners are equipped to go pass-happy in a given week to make up for McCaffrey being out.

Today, it’s even murkier due to Mitchell and Guerendo each battling hamstring injuries. It’s tough for a rookie to unseat a veteran and nearly impossible if the former can’t stay healthy. Mitchell is expected to miss roughly a week of practice, whereas Guerendo is considered week to week after getting hurt during the first practice of camp. As a result, veteran Matt Breida was added to the roster.

For those who draft McCaffrey, Mitchell should be the handcuff, and his RB5 ADP ranking puts him in a position that it wouldn’t be a reach. The reason for that recommendation comes from the largely unremembered, meaningless final six quarters of the 49ers’ regular season. McCaffrey sat for that period with playoff positioning locked up, and Mitchell was given a chance to prove himself. He responded with 31 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Guerendo is not entirely worthless but has lost valuable practice time and will need Mitchell to miss game action before he warrants a roster spot.

Former Badger, current 49ers rookie RB sidelined with hamstring issue at training camp

Former Badger, current 49ers rookie RB sidelined with hamstring issue at training camp

Former Wisconsin running back Isaac Guerendo is expected to miss multiple weeks of San Francisco 49ers training camp with a hamstring injury, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Just months after being selected No. 129 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft by the 49ers, Guerendo will now miss significant time with the season fast approaching.

The Indiana native became the second San Francisco rookie to suffer a hamstring injury, joining former Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.

Guerendo totaled 27 appearances while representing the Badgers from 2018-22. He served as Wisconsin’s primary reserve running back in 2022 and registered 385 yards and five touchdowns, plus 17 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.

The veteran elected to transfer to Louisville after the 2022 season. He went on to rush for 810 yards and 11 touchdowns on 132 carries with the Cardinals in 2023.

Prior to the incident, Guerendo was No. 4 on San Francisco’s running back depth chart behind all-world playmaker Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason.

Given his position in the 2024 draft, Guerendo has a strong likelihood of landing on the 49ers’ final 53-man roster in August despite the injury. But it remains unclear how long the playmaker will be sidelined.

49ers rookie could be facing steep climb to roster spot after injury

Another 49ers mid-round pick at RB is off to a rough start in his first training camp.

Another 49ers mid-round running back could be in trouble.

San Francisco under head coach Kyle Shanahan has made a dubious habit of selecting running backs in the middle rounds of the NFL draft only to have them flame out spectacularly.

Fourth-round pick Joe Williams in the 2017 draft never played a regular season snap for the 49ers. In 2021 they selected Trey Sermon in the third round only to cut him after one subpar year. They followed that up with Ty Davis-Price in Round 3 of the 2022 draft. He wound up getting released during his second season. That trio combined for 81 rushes and 287 rushing yards with one touchdown.

They went back to the well in this year’s draft when they selected RB Isaac Guerendo out of Louisville. He checks a ton of boxes for the 49ers’ offense with his vision and home run speed. Raheem Mostert was a name invoked regularly after the pick. As with other mid-round RBs in Shanahan’s tenure, Guerendo’s rookie campaign hasn’t gotten off to a great start.

He’s one of three 49ers sidelined with a hamstring injury, but his is the only one that’s going to force him out for significant time.

“No, Isaac was worse. That’s going to be a few weeks,” Shanahan told reporters after Monday’s practice. “(WR) Jake (Cowing) is in a similar boat as (WR) Tay (Martin). I think it was a 10 day guess, whenever that started. So hopefully sometime next week.”

Missing any training camp time is brutal for rookies looking to get up to speed in the NFL. They’re not only missing valuable reps against NFL competition, but they’re also missing time where they’re learning the offense in controlled practice setting.

By sitting for multiple weeks Guerendo could fall way behind the pack in a crowded running back room. Assuming San Francisco keeps four at the position, we can pencil in Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell. That leaves one spot for Guerendo, undrafted rookie Cody Schrader, and veteran special teams contributor Patrick Taylor.

Perhaps Guerendo gets on the field and lights it up the way it looked like he might when his NFL productivity was a series of workout numbers, advanced stats and projections. Now those projections aren’t nearly as rosy with the team churning toward their potential Super Bowl run and Guerendo sidelined by a balky hamstring. It’s hard when faced with those facts to not have flashbacks to previous failed mid-round RBs.

There’s still time for Guerendo to climb out of that hole and into a roster spot, but the hole gets deeper each day he’s out.

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3 49ers draft picks all dealing with same injury in 1st training camp

It’s a tough year to be a 49ers 2024 draft pick.

It’s been a tough training camp to be a 49ers 2024 draft pick. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, wide receiver Jacob Cowing and running back Isaac Guerendo are all dealing with hamstring injuries.

Pearsall has yet to participate in any of the first four training camp practices because of his ailment. He’s on the non-football injury list, but the expectation is for him to join the club in practice when they resume activities Monday.

Guerendo was healthy to start camp. On Day 1 of practice he suffered a hamstring injury. Then Cowing went down with an injury that kept him out of Days 3 and 4. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Saturday after practice confirmed Cowing is dealing with a hamstring issue as well.

Rookies missing any practice is bad news. They’re the players most in need of reps. Hamstring injuries can also be tricky, so the 49ers might be extremely cautious in bringing those players back into the mix, leading to additional missed sessions.

On the other hand, as long as the hamstring injuries aren’t major they should be able to avoid missing significant time. If all three are back in time for the preseason opener where they can get in-game reps they should be able to catch up and make an impact.

For now the focus will just be ensuring they’re healthy as quickly as possible, and ensuring no more first-year players wind up having to miss time.

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