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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The San Francisco 49ers' injury woes at running back continued this week. Christian McCaffrey was sidelined with muscle tightness, while backups Jordan James (rib fracture), Kaelon Black (adductor), and Isaac Guerendo (pectoral tear) have all missed practice due to injury. For a team that relies so heavily on the ground game, it's easy to see why concern has mounted.
On Wednesday, the 49ers made their first move to address the situation, signing running back Zamir White — who visited the team Monday — to a one-year deal. White was a fourth-round pick (No. 122 overall) in 2022 and spent the last four seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders.
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White was one of the more exciting running back prospects in that draft class after a strong junior year at Georgia, where he ran for 856 yards and 11 touchdowns on 160 carries, averaging 5.4 yards per carry, and helped lead the Bulldogs to a national championship.
But he spent his entire tenure in Las Vegas buried on the depth chart behind players like Josh Jacobs, Alexander Mattison, and Ashton Jeanty. His best season came in 2023, when he rushed for 451 yards and one touchdown on 104 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt. Over the last two years, though, he's been limited to just 14 games due to injury, and his role in the offense faded last season.
The Raiders chose not to re-sign him once his rookie contract expired this offseason, and he's remained a free agent since.
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Once James, Black, and Guerendo are healthy, White is little more than veteran insurance for the 49ers. But with those injuries piling up — and San Francisco wanting to keep McCaffrey fresh for the regular season — White should get ample opportunity throughout the preseason and could play his way into a meaningful role before Week 1.
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