© Sam Greene | 2021 Aug 29
When you keep losing running backs, you have to keep signing running backs.
That’s what the 49ers did again on Tuesday, inking former XFL standout Jacques Patrick after losing three more ball carriers to injury last Sunday. Patrick was signed from the Bengals practice squad and will be added to San Francisco’s 53-man roster.
The #49ers are signing RB Jacques Patrick off the #Bengals practice squad, source said. Big opportunity for the onetime XFL star with injuries depleting the SF backfield.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 21, 2021
Okay, let’s try and recap what the running back situation looks like at the moment. Raheem Mostert is out for the year. JayMichael Hasty has a high-ankle sprain and will “be out a while” according to Kyle Shanahan. Rookie Trey Sermon is in the concussion protocol. Other rookie Elijah Mitchell is day-to-day with a shoulder issue.
So aside from Patrick, that leaves just Trenton Cannon, who was claimed off waivers five days ago, as the only other healthy running back on the 49ers’ 53-man roster. Kerryon Johnson remains on the practice squad at the moment, and the 49ers have recently worked out other running backs Lamar Miller, Duke Johnson and former Jaguars second-round pick T.J. Yeldon.
The 49ers will likely wait until later in the week to make a decision on whether to add another RB, depending on the statuses of Sermon and Mitchell.
As for Patrick, he was the third leading rusher in the XFL, averaging 4.2 yards per carry for the Tampa Bay Vipers before the league suspended operations after five games in March of 2020. Patrick, a four-year player at Florida State, was leading rusher for the Cincinnati Bengals in the preseason, gaining 156 yards and one touchdown while averaging five yards per carry.
At between 230-240 pounds, Patrick would be the biggest running back on the 49ers by far.
Jacques Patrick is pretty fast for that size pic.twitter.com/zJJ2UOgVXd
— Mike (Sans) (@bengals_sans) August 23, 2021