Isaac Guerendo’s coachability and maturity that led to the 49ers’ ascension originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA – The 49ers’ running back depth knows no bounds.

The group as a whole, when healthy, is an embarrassment of riches that the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco’s opponent on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium, would certainly like a piece of.

Of course, you can credit coach Kyle Shanahan’s plan some of the next-man-up success the 49ers have had over the years, but there’s an intangible quality that only some running backs — and even fewer rookies — have that San Francisco continues to identify and address.

Fourth-round rookie running back Isaac Guerendo, who has shown his game-breaking speed at various points throughout the season, answered the call again after an injury to starter Jordan Mason in San Francisco’s 30-24 win over Dallas on Sunday night.

Guerendo rushed 14 times for 85 yards and one touchdown on the ground in place of Mason, who left the game midway through the second quarter after injuring his left shoulder, the same shoulder he injured two weeks earlier against the Seattle Seahawks.

While neither Mason nor Guerendo comes close to matching the player that is reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, there isn’t much of a dip in the team’s overall rushing production — if any at all — with the third-year and rookie backs. The latter may be the better overall rusher of the two.

Guerendo ran a blazing 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine this spring, the fastest of any player at the position in his draft class. It’s not necessarily that expectations were high for the fourth-rounder buried on the depth chart, but there was certainly a desire to see him burn.

And when his chances early in the season (12 carries for 41 yards in the first six weeks) were just… average, perhaps even disappointing, the focus shifted completely — and rightfully so — to Mason. However, with each passing week, Guerendo continued to learn and improve and make the most of his opportunities.

“I think the most important thing was that we were able to play fast and learn from game to game,” Guerendo said of his adjustments during the season. “The speed of the game. I’m just talking about getting away from the ball. If I’m slow at that, I’m behind the play. Just because I have the urgency, I can hit it.”

“I think he’s learned from every run he’s made,” Shanahan said after the game. “There are a few runs earlier in the year that he did well on, but we judge him quite harshly and everyone else quite harshly. He had a couple of four-yard runs where we thought he could have gone seven yards further. We’re going quite hard by him and then you watch him put that into practice and with everything we’ve pushed him with, he’s been really coachable.

“He’s not a sensitive guy, he’s very detailed. He’s very ready for a newcomer, things aren’t too big for him. I didn’t get a lot of reps in the preseason, but once he got healthy there, and the whole year through the year, I feel like he’s getting better every week.”

Guerendo’s first standout moment came in the win over Seattle. With the 49ers leading 29-24 and 1:37 remaining in the game, the rookie burst through a gap on the right side of the offensive line for a huge 76-yard run to ice the game.

Guerendo wisely appeared to slide past the goal line on purpose so the 49ers could run out the clock, even though there was some friendly internal debate about whether that was a conscious decision by the rookie or whether he stumbled. at the end.

Fast forward to Sunday night, and Guerendo broke off another long run with nothing but green grass in front of him, sliding past the goal line once again to run out the clock.

This time he left no room for debate.

“Yes, 110 percent, I had to make sure people knew,” Guerendo said with a laugh.

“Yes, we told him about this… but at least he listened,” Shanahan said with a smile. “It’s hard to turn that down when you come in and I’m glad he did it the second time, but this one was much better.”

The responsible decision, as difficult as it was for the rookie, came only after Guerendo scored his first NFL touchdown in the third quarter.

It is unclear what the near future holds for both Guerendo and Mason. McCaffrey, who the 49ers expect to return to practice in some capacity during the bye week with the likelihood that he will be ready to make his season debut in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccanneers, will continue his role as the all-rounder for the take over the attack again. weapon. One where quarterback Brock Purdy and Co. will rely heavily on.

This likely means that Guerendo and Mason will be relegated to backup and third-string roles, seeing only a limited number of snaps that they can hope to make the most of.

And if Guerendo’s performances in recent weeks are any indication, it’s that he’ll be ready when his number is called.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast