Who Should I Start? Ameer Abdullah or D'Ernest Johnson

Monday, August 11, 8:41 PM

The San Francisco 49ers have placed running back Ameer Abdullah (ribs) on season-ending injured reserve, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Abdullah, who just joined the 49ers as a free agent on July 31, suffered a rib injury in a preseason-opening 30-9 loss to the Denver Broncos this past Saturday. While the 32-year-old was unlikely to make much of an impact this season (if any), it's another hit to San Francisco's depth in the backfield. The team is already set to go multiple weeks without injured Christian McCaffrey backups Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) and Jordan James (finger). The 49ers brought back Jeff Wilson Jr. in free agency on Sunday in the wake of Abdullah's injury to provide some much-needed healthy depth behind McCaffrey.

Saturday, August 2, 4:10 PM

The Baltimore Ravens have signed running back D'Ernest Johnson, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Johnson joins Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, and Rasheen Ali as depth options in Baltimore behind star running back Derrick Henry. In 14 games with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season Johnson gained 239 yards from scrimmage on 44 total touches and did not find the end zone. The 29-year-old's most productive NFL season came in 2021, when he rushed for over 500 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games for the Cleveland Browns. Hill is a proven commodity as Baltimore's primary passing-down back, so Johnson could be battling with Mitchell for the RB3 role.