SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In his first practice as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, running back Brian Robinson Jr. needed at least a little bit of time to adjust.
“It was like a first day of school,” Robinson said. “I got lost in the hallway for a second but I found my way to class.”
Wearing No. 30 and jumping into a 62-minute workout on Monday, Robinson might have needed that brief moment to get his feet under him after his exit from the Washington Commanders materialized over the past couple of weeks despite his standing as the team’s most productive running back in each of the past three seasons.
The Niners and Commanders agreed to a trade involving Robinson coming to San Francisco and a 2026 sixth-round pick going to Washington on Friday with the sides announcing the deal officially on Sunday.
While Robinson didn’t seem surprised by the trade, even noting that he viewed the Niners as a potential destination, he also didn’t really have an explanation for how he went from Washington’s top running back to on the trade block.
“I really couldn’t tell you that right now,” Robinson said. “The last week or two has been a bit unusual, but nothing changes for me. I expect the same goals I set for myself three, four months ago. It stays the same, same process, same everything I expect to do of everything that I was expecting to do for myself this year. I expect to continue that even though I’m in a new home, so nothing should change.”
It was a whirlwind weekend for Robinson, who, upon arrival in San Francisco, has been immediately named the team’s No. 2 running back behind starter Christian McCaffrey.
“We brought him here to be our (number) two back,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Always been a big fan of Brian. (I) loved him coming out of college. He’s done really well going against him and we were pumped that he was available and we were pumped that we were able to get him.”
To Shanahan’s point, the Niners showed interest in Robinson when he was entering the league via the 2022 NFL draft. Robinson was one of the Niners’ 30 pre-draft visitors that year and spent plenty of time with then assistant head coach Anthony Lynn and meeting other members of the staff, including running backs coach Bobby Turner.
But Washington used the 98th overall selection on Robinson and he has been a significant part of its offense for the past three seasons. In those years, Robinson amassed 2,329 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 4.1 yards per carry on the ground with 65 receptions for 587 yards and five more touchdowns through the air.
Despite that, Washington made multiple moves to bolster its running back depth in the offseason with Chris Rodriguez and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt emerging in more prominent roles during the preseason and joining veterans Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols in the mix.
As trade rumors began to bubble up during camp, it became clear where Robinson stood in Washington last week when he did not play nor attend the Commanders’ preseason game against Cincinnati.
According to Robinson, he had “some hints” that the Niners were a potential landing spot but “several other teams” were trying to get him as well.
The Niners’ interest in Robinson came about after a training camp in which they’ve consistently dealt with injuries at running back. Rookie Jordan James (broken finger) missed most of camp, Patrick Taylor Jr. (shoulder) and Corey Kiner (high ankle sprain) are on injured reserve and Isaac Guerendo recently returned from his own shoulder injury.
McCaffrey has made it through the preseason without issue but the injuries and some struggles for Guerendo, who fumbled twice in a recent practice, also made Robinson an appealing option.
On Monday, Robinson said he is looking forward to working alongside McCaffrey.
“I come here to compete,” Robinson said. “I’m ready to do my thing just as well as Christian is ready to do his. So, my job right now is to just to complement him the best way I can and we (can) be the best duo in the league.”
As for how Robinson fits in his new offense, he said the terminology will take some time to learn but the Niners’ favored zone-heavy scheme suits him well. And he’s well aware of the many backs Shanahan and Turner have had success with over the years, all of which he said should make his transition to the 49ers pretty straightforward.
“I’ve been running the ball my whole life, so I’m ready to just plug and play,” Robinson said. “I came here ready to play and I’m sure that I want him to be able to use me like that. Whatever run scheme it is, he can throw me in. I’m already ready to execute the plays.”
