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Isaac Guerendo Most Likely Will be the 49ers' Primary Kick Returner

Just a week ago, it seemed like Isaac Guerendo might not make the 49ers' 53-man roster.

Grant Cohn

Aug 23, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo (49) carries the ball on a kickoff return against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 23, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo (49) carries the ball on a kickoff return against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Just a week ago, it seemed like Isaac Guerendo might not make the 49ers' 53-man roster. Now, it seems like he'll be their primary kick returner. That's how much can change in a few days.

The 49ers traded up to take Guerendo in Round 5 of this year's draft. And on Day 1 of training camp, he pulled his hamstring. He seemed like a project who would have no choice but to spend his rookie season on the Injured Reserve List. But last week, he finally returned to practice. And on Friday, he had his first preseason game with the 49ers. And he returned a kickoff for 93 yards before he ran out of gas and got tackled at the four yard line. Remember, he has been healthy for a week. In a few more, he won't run out of gas.

Now it seems like Guerendo not only will make the team, but he'll be active on game days and a key member of their special teams. Now that the NFL has changed their kickoff rules to decrease the number of touchbacks, the kick returner can be a real weapon, and Guerendo seems like a dangerous one.

Remember, Guerendo is 221 pounds and runs a 4.33. He's a physical freak. And he seems to have a good feel for returning kickoffs. So the job should belong to him.

Which means the 49ers should suit up the following running backs on game days: Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason and Guerendo. Elijah Mitchell appears to be the odd man out.

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Grant Cohn

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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