How 49ers Rookie Kaelon Black Can Earn Primary Backup Role

One goal the San Francisco 49ers needed to accomplish this offseason was providing Christian McCaffrey with adequate support.

The workload he had in 2025 cannot be duplicated in 2026. He needs help, which means the 49ers had to add quality players they could trust to rotate with McCaffrey.

Instead, the 49ers are gambling with Jordan James and rookie Kaleon Black. Both will likely get some run this upcoming season, but only one can be the primary backup to McCaffrey.

James has the upper hand since he knows the offense. Still, there is a pathway for Black to beat out James and earn the backup role.

How Black can be the primary backup

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Kaelon Black (8) rushes the ball Miami Hurricanes in the first half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It starts by proving he can be a pass catcher. Kyle Shanahan wants all of his running backs to be versatile, similar to McCaffrey.

That way, when McCaffrey comes off the field and Shanahan doesn't realize it, the play he calls doesn't get totally wasted. It's part of why they didn't re-sign Brian Robinson Jr.

He was a solid runner, but he couldn't pass-catch to save his life. It would ruin plays when McCaffrey would get subbed off for Robinson.

Now, Black barely did any pass catching at Indiana. However, he has a history of it from a few years ago when he played at James Madison University. Rekindling that will be crucial to earning a role.

“People have kind of mentioned that he didn’t catch a lot of passes at Indiana, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that based on what you’ve seen in the practice field,” said Kyle Juszczyk on The Rich Eisen Show. “He looks very natural running his routes, very natural hands. I think he’s going to fit in just perfectly.”

So far, so good for him, with Juszczyk giving his early seal of approval. But Black needs to prove it when the pads come on in training camp and during the preseason.

He'll also have to expedite his mastery of the 49ers' complicated offense. It won't be easy at all, and he will struggle. Yet, McCaffrey has noted that Black is a quick learner.

“What I see in him already in a few weeks is that he can pick things up so quickly," said McCaffrey at OTAs. "It doesn’t take him a while. Once he does something, or once you tell him something, he knows how to correct it. He knows how to fix it.”

Black has an uphill climb ahead of him, especially with James having a year under his belt. But the 49ers drafted Black high for a reason, so he should be able to accomplish this feat.

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