5 Weeks Into The Season, This San Francisco 49ers Move Looks A Lot More Puzzling

When the San Francisco 49ers traded for Brian Robinson on August 24, 2025, the move was heralded as arguably the biggest of their offseason and one that could transform their offense. 

The 49ers were dealing with an injury-decimated running back room at the time, and Robinson brought lead back experience to that room for the 49ers. On paper, Christian McCaffrey and Robinson looked like they could be one of the best RB duos in the NFL. 

Especially since they were playing for Kyle Shanahan in a run-first offense. 

But Robinson hasn’t had much impact for the 49ers through 4 games. He has only 22 carries for 96 yards and no touchdowns. 

He is on pace to record only 408 rushing yards this season on only 99 attempts, both career lows by far. Why has it been such a down year for Robinson? 

Robinson’s Usage

The numbers suggest that Robinson’s shrinking numbers have more to with how the 49ers are using him and less to do with his own personal performance. 

Robinson actually has averaged more yards per rush (4.4) than McCaffrey (3.3). He also has a longer “longest rush” (19 yards) than McCaffrey (14). 

Despite this, McCaffrey has received over triple the amount of rushing attempts (69) compared to Robinson (22). 

McCaffrey is a bigger threat in the passing game but that doesn’t explain the disparity in rushing attempts. 

This decrease in rushing attempts would make sense IF the 49ers were working on acclimating him to the offense early in his career. The Kyle Shanahan offense is notoriously complicated. 

But no. Robinson’s season high in rushing attempts was in Week 1 when he had 9. He had 6 in week 2, only 2 in Week 3 and 5 in Week 4. 

Kyle Shanahan’s Playcalling 

Robinson’s shrinking carries also reflect a larger trend in the Kyle Shanahan offense. 

The Shanahan offense is typically run-first. But this season, the 49ers have overwhelmingly become a pass-first offense. They rank second in the NFL in passing offense and are bottom 5 in the NFL in rushing offense. 

The 49ers are the only team in the NFL without a rushing touchdown thus far. 

So, it’s not like a backup has outplayed Robinson or overtaken him in usage. Both third string running back Isaac Guerendo and fourth stringer Jordan James have not recorded a single rushing attempt this season. 

Remember, Guerendo had 84 attempts for 420 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. You could argue that Guerendo has it even worse this season than Robinson. 

This abandonment of the run is happening despite a 49er offense that is struggling mightily with injuries in the passing game. Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, Trent Taylor and Demarcus Robinson have all been limited by injuries (or in Demarcus Robinson’s case, a suspension) so far this season. 

On paper, Brian Robinson still plays an important role on this team. But will the 49ers ever use him enough for him to reach his full potential? 

And if they don’t start using him more, was dealing a sixth round pick away for him even worth it? The 49ers probably could have gotten the same production out of Guerendo in such a limited role. 

49ers fans, what do you think of Brian Robinson? Should the Niners start using him more?

Steelers could shock fans by trading this fan-favorite to boost roster

Moving on from Pat Freiermuth might've seemed crazy at the start of the season, but it's not too outlandish now. The veteran tight end used to be the top player at his position for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he has struggled to find a role on offense through the first four games. Perhaps the bye week will allow him to recover and find a groove once the team returns to play in Week 6.

It has been a disappointing start to the campaign for Freiermuth, and it'll be tough for him to rebound with limited opportunities. Pittsburgh has a loaded group at the tight end position on the roster. Both Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington have played significant roles on offense. Freiermuth has seemed to take a back seat to those two this season, which is troublesome.

Sending out the former star player of the Steelers would likely draw significant criticism from their fans.

They love this player, and it would take a significant trade for them to accept this potential deal. General Manager Omar Khan remains in significant trade rumors as the deadline approaches. Freiermuth could be someone Khan considers moving if the right offer comes across his desk.

Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan could trade Pat Freiermuth to boost his roster

Don't expect any imminent trade, as moving Freiermuth would shake up the locker room. They added Jonnu Smith to the position this offseason, and he could help fill the pass-catching void. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith appears more comfortable with Smith anyway. It's a rich talent pool of tight ends, and they could afford to lose one of those players to upgrade a weakness.

No one expected Khan to trade Minkah Fitzpatrick this past offseason, but he did. He is willing to make whatever deal makes sense for the Steelers. Their roster could use some upgrades to varying positions this season. Those include safety, linebacker, offensive line, and wide receiver. While some of those needs are more urgent than others, Khan continues to search for solutions.

Freiermuth is considered to be one of the better tight ends in the NFL, and Pittsburgh loves him. Parting ways would be difficult, but if it brought back a similarly talented player who could help address one of their weaknesses, it wouldn’t sting as much.

The times of hanging onto a player because the fans love him are over, and Khan must do his best roster management to help the Steelers win games.

Ideally, the best outcome of trading Freiermuth would be landing a solid receiver to help DK Metcalf, or a safety who can finally replace Fitzpatrick. They have talented players to replace Freiermuth this season, and they don't seem prepared to use three tight ends at a time. Roles are starting to shrink, and that could force Khan into making some brutal decisions.

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