Who Should I Start? Patrick Taylor Jr. or Phil Mafah

Monday, March 10, 4:14 PM

The San Francisco 49ers agreed to an undisclosed one-year contract extension on Monday with running back Patrick Taylor Jr., according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Taylor will give the Niners additional running back depth behind Christian McCaffrey (knee) and Isaac Guerendo after Elijah Mitchell signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency on Monday. Jordan Mason is a restricted free agent and should also return to the team in 2025 unless he's traded. Taylor, 25, went undrafted out of Memphis before latching on with the Green Bay Packers in 2021. Last year in his first year in the Bay Area, Taylor appeared in 13 games (one start) and had a career-high 183 rushing yards and one touchdown on 39 rushing attempts. He also added three catches for 25 yards in his fourth year in the NFL. One hundred and nine of Taylor's rushing yards in 2024 came late in the year in the win over the Cardinals.

Wednesday, May 7, 8:14 PM

The Dallas Cowboys have signed seventh-round rookie running back Phil Mafah to a four-year, $4.31 million deal, per the team's transaction log. Mafah spent his entire college career at Clemson, garnering seven starts over his first three seasons before starting in all 14 games in 2024. He broke out last year, rushing for 1,115 yards and eight touchdowns across 216 carries (5.2 YPC). The 22-year-old wasn't much of a receiver over his first two campaigns, but he caught 21 balls in each of his junior and senior seasons, though he did not score any TDs there. Like his fellow rookie rusher Jaydon Blue, Mafah will have the opportunity to crack Dallas' backfield due to the lack of competition in front of him. This RB room will be one to watch throughout the months leading up to the NFL season.