Jordan James is back at practice after missing the past few weeks with a rib injury, and the San Francisco 49ers are planning to lean on him in the third preseason game. Klay Kubiak said the rookie back will be in a big game against the Las Vegas Raiders and that he is going to get a lot of reps.
That return matters because James, drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2025 fifth round, had been one of the young backs the team wanted to develop behind Christian McCaffrey. His absence opened the door for others, and Kaelon Black has made the most of it by running for 33 yards on eight carries in Thursday's preseason action.
Kubiak did not sound bothered by the gap James created while he was out. He said James had two really good practices and looked in good shape after the injury that sidelined him on the first day of training camp. He also said the team drafted these young backs for a reason and believes they have a lot of ability, which is part of why James is being pushed back into the mix now rather than eased in slowly.
The wrinkle is that James is returning into a room that has already been rearranged by performance and availability. The returns of Christian McCaffrey, Kaelon Black and Jordan James helped the 49ers trade Zamir White for Deion Jones, but Black's stronger preseason showing appears to have moved him ahead of James on the depth chart. Kubiak acknowledged that Black stepped up and said he wanted to see how James looks in the game and keep going from there.
So the next step is simple enough: James has to turn practice health into game snaps. Kubiak has already set the expectation that he will get a lot of work against the Las Vegas Raiders, and that game should answer the open question that matters most now — whether James can do enough in live action to reclaim momentum before the preseason ends.
