Isaac Guerendo: Everything you need to know

Guerendo is not participating in OTAs due to a torn pectoral, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports. The running back suffered the injury while lifting "about a month ago," per David Lombardi of SFStandard.com. Guerendo is expected back near the end of training camp, though he did already undergo surgery, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. The 2024 fourth-round pick did not receive a single carry in 2025 despite appearing in 14 regular-season games.

Guerendo was only utilized on special teams this season, finishing with 100 kick return yards across 14 active games. Guerendo entered his sophomore campaign with an opportunity to serve as Christian McCaffrey's primary backup, but he failed to seize the role in training camp and the team opted to trade for veteran RB Brian Robison (92-400-2) to fill that role instead. The 25-year-old Guerendo averaged 5.0 yards per carry in his rookie season, so it was a bit surprising to see San Francisco's coaching staff give him zero carries in 2025. The Louisville product was healthy for the majority of the schedule and appeared in 14 games as a member of the special teams unit. Guerendo still has two years left on his rookie contract, but it doesn't appear that the 49ers view the running back as part of the team's long-term vision on offense.

Guerendo (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday night's contest against Chicago. Guerendo will be a healthy scratch for the second straight week after having played in the team's previous 14 contests. Jordan James will get another nod as the 49ers' No. 3 running back behind Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson in Week 17.