One 49ers Player Kyle Shanahan is Excited About in 2026

This 49ers player is in line to have his role significantly increased in 2026.

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers are flipping the page to the 2026 season.

That process kicked off when Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch held their usual exit press conference. Both Shanahan and Lynch were asked numerous questions.

One of the questions asked was about rookie running back Jordan James. He didn't get to play at all in 2025, but did squeeze in a bit of snaps in garbage time of the divisional playoff game.

It was a reminder that he was on the roster and a player to look forward to for 2026. But no one is looking forward to what James can do next year more than Shanahan.

Kyle Shanahan excited to see Jordan James develop

Jul 24, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan James (29) runs a play from scrimmage during the second day of training camp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

"I'm real excited about Jordan James. Wish we could have gotten him in there more," said Shanahan at his exit press conference. "He was ready to go here these last six weeks of the year, big time.

"There wasn’t an opportunity for him. But, if he has an offseason that we think he's capable of and can improve, especially the way he looked here at the end of the year, I feel very excited about him helping us.”

As phenomenal a coach as Shanahan is, his handling of personnel, especially rookies, is hysterical. He says that there wasn't a chance for James to get on the field.

However, the perfect time for James to play was in Week 15 when the 49ers hosted the Tennessee Titans. That was when Christian McCaffrey popped up on the injury report the day before the game with a back injury.

Jun 11, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan James (29) catches a pass during a team OTA at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

James could've easily played in that game with McCaffrey hurting. It was against a weak opponent, and the 49ers were just coming off their Bye Week.

It made no sense not to play James a little bit before the playoffs. The 49ers had their chances. Shanahan doesn't trust rookies. He never will.

Perhaps now that James will no longer technically be one, he will play James more in 2026. Brian Robinson Jr. will be a free agent. There's no way he comes back.

That means the 49ers will look to James to back up McCaffrey. So long as James doesn't get hurt again (knock on wood), it's his job to lose.

If not, the 49ers will look to the trade market again like they did before the season.

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