Who Should I Start? Isaac Guerendo or Omarion Hampton

Monday, January 6, 10:31 PM

An MRI exam on Monday morning revealed that San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo (ankle, knee) suffered an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain in the loss to the division-rival Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to a source. Guerendo will have plenty of time to heal up in the offseason, and the best news is that he didn't suffer any damage to his ACL. Both of the injuries are to his left leg. The 24-year-old fourth-round pick didn't see much of an opportunity in 2024 until late in the season when both Christian McCaffrey (knee) and Jordan Mason (ankle) were ruled out for the year, but when he did get his chances, he was pretty effective out of the Niners' backfield. Guerendo finished with 5.0 yards per carry for 420 yards and four TDs on 84 carries through 16 games. He should serve as valuable insurance for McCaffrey in 2025.

Monday, May 19, 3:26 PM

NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reports that first-round rookie running back Omarion Hampton has agreed to a four-year, $17.77 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. The contract includes a $9.56 million signing bonus. Hampton and backfield mate Najee Harris are set to split time in Jim Harbaugh's offense, which caps the former Tar Heel's immediate upside. Still, his long-term outlook is looking quite rosy. Like Harris, the 22-year-old is a powerful, bruising back with a three-down skill set, though he possesses much more explosiveness than the veteran. Even if Hampton starts the season off behind his teammate in carries, it wouldn't be surprising to see him even out the workload over the course of the season -- if not outright taking the job if he adjusts quickly enough.