The San Francisco 49ers continued to adjust to life without running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason on Wednesday.
They announced the promotion of running back Patrick Taylor from the practice squad to the active roster as well as the addition of RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn to the practice squad. Defensive tackle Kevin Givens was also placed on IR.
Taylor's promotion isn't a surprise since San Francisco was so poor at running back. Fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo is expected to be at the top of the rankings, but as of Tuesday, the 49ers didn't have a healthy player behind him. They claimed former New York Jets RB Israel Abanikanda off waivers to back up Guerendo. Taylor gives them a third player on the depth chart, while Vaughn's rejoining the club provides additional internal depth.
This is Taylor's second appearance on the active roster this season. He was released prior to McCaffrey's return in Week 10, but re-signed to the practice squad after clearing waivers. Now he returns to the active roster and has a chance to fill an RB2 role behind Guerendo.
Vaughn was with the 49ers during the preseason and also spent time on their practice squad before being released in mid-November. He is now back at the club.
In the 49ers' Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Givens suffered a torn pectoral muscle. His injury-hit season ended after just eight games. The 2019 undrafted free agent signee recorded 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and a career-high 3.5 sacks this season.
