The San Francisco 49ers running back room is one of the team's position groups that boasts a large carryover from the 2023 season. While year-to-year roster turnover is a sure thing in the NFL, the big changes to the 49ers cast of ball carriers have come mostly in the form of additions this offseason and training camp.
This means the players responsible for the 49ers dominant ground game last season are in place and barring injuries, have another opportunity to boost San Francisco's offense in the upcoming season. The 49ers are coming off a year in which they finished third in total rushing yards (2,389) behind only the Baltimore Ravens (2,662) and Chicago Bears (2,399).
The group is anchored by AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year and the league's rushing yards leader Christian McCaffrey with returning players Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason and eight-time Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk. And you can't talk about the 49ers successful ground game without factoring in the contributions of dual-threat receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., who racked up 37 carries for 225 yards and five touchdowns, in addition to 60 receptions for 892 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.
The new faces of the running back room include fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo, free agents Patrick Taylor Jr., Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Matt Breida and undrafted rookie Cody Schrader.
While there's plenty that goes into creating a dominant ground game, one tool Juszczyk noted that helps keep the running backs mentally sharp over the course of the year is a weekly written test distributed by running backs coach Robert Turner Jr.
"(Coach Turner) is very strict. He's going to be making sure you are on top of every assignment," Juszczyk said. "He doesn't let Christian or myself loosen up at any point. We have to be on our stuff. It's my eighth year with him, and I still do a running back test before every game. Those are a good eight pages thick."
Juszczyk went into some of the specifics of the test that are routine for the 49ers running backs.
"You have to turn it in the night before the game," Juszczyk said. "It is a printed out, written test. Typically, we get it right before we get on the plane when we travel or Saturday morning if we're at home. You don't get it back after you turn it in. But, if there is anything alarming, he will be sure to let you know."
With no grades or pass/fail designation, it appears the test largely serves to make sure every player is well-prepped for every matchup.
"I have always loved Bobby, but each and every year, I appreciate him even more," Juszczyk added. "Because it is easy sometimes when you've done things for so long, and you've done the same things, to let up a little bit, to get just a little lackadaisical. I've never gone into a game feeling unprepared. He makes sure you always feel prepared and confident in everything you do."
Coach Turner began his football coaching career in the 70s and became the 49ers running backs coach in 2017 after stints with the Denver Broncos, Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons.
"He's the best in the world at what he does, and he loves it," Juszcsyk said with a smile on his face. "I don't think there is anything else that he would rather be doing. He tells us all the time that he'll wake up in the middle of the night and chuckle to himself about a joke that we've had in our room, all of us laughing together and just how tight of a group we are and how much success we've had together.
"That's what drives him. I think he truly loves the game, and he loves coaching that room."
