Reinforcements have somewhat arrived.
The San Francisco 49ers have signed running back Jacques Patrick to a one-year deal from the Bengals practice squad on Tuesday. As a follow up to signing Patrick, cornerback Dee Virgin was released from the practice squad.
Signing Patrick comes at a time when the entire 49ers running back room is injured. On Monday, Kyle Shanahan said that the 49ers had planned to bring in Duke Johnson, T.J. Yeldon and Lamar Miller for a workout. Clearly these players didn't convince the 49ers enough as opposed to taking a flyer on Patrick.
Johnson seemed like the most logical player as he brings pass catching ability and was decent with the Texans last season. But I guess Shanahan and his staff see something in Patrick that they like. Patrick got some light run in the preseason with the Bengals. He ran the ball for 31 times with 156 yards (5.0 ypc) and one touchdown tallied. Not the most impressive signing, but at this point in the season there really isn't going to be a savior or an answer when the entire running back room is hurting.
Here is some background on the former Florida State Seminole.
Patrick originally entered the NFL after signing with the Bengals on Apr. 17, 2020. He spent the entire 2020 season on the team’s practice squad and later signed a Reserve/Future contract with the team on Jan. 4, 2021. Patrick was waived by the Bengals on Aug. 31 and signed to their practice squad the following day.
Prior to signing with the Bengals in 2020, Patrick appeared in five games for the XFL’s Tampa Bay Vipers where he registered 60 carries for 254 yards and two touchdowns.
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