San Francisco 49ers bring back player waived to make room on the roster for Christian McCaffrey

Patrick Taylor Jr. was waived by the San Francisco 49ers last Friday to make room for the return of Christian McCaffrey to the 53-man roster. Four days later, he is back with the team.

The 49ers announced they had signed Taylor to the practice squad and released fellow running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn.

San Francisco signed Taylor in free agency and had played in each of the first eight games for the 49ers prior to being waived ahead of the Week 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Taylor only had seven carries across those eight games, rushing for 25 yards while also adding a 12-yard reception.

Despite serving as the third-string back even when McCaffrey was out, Taylor carries some underrated value to the Niners that makes him a useful presence on the practice squad.

Taylor made three special teams tackles over the first eight games, tied for the second-most on the team.

With San Francisco continuing to struggle in that facet, it figures to be useful for the 49ers to have one of their better special teams performers this season available to be elevated.

The 49ers can only elevate Taylor from the practice squad three times. They would need to promote him to the 53-man roster in order to utilize him for more than three games during the stretch run.