Even though the games don’t count, preseason football is better than no football. This time of the year is strictly for the players attempting to make a team, and for the coaches to find which players fit their schemes.
Us fans can still enjoy watching the team play while doing our own evaluations of how they look. For starters, Kyle Allen looks like the clear favorite to be the backup to Jared Goff after outperforming Hendon Hooker in Friday’s win against the Atlanta Falcons.
However, things can change quickly for any player, whether it's due to a string of good performances in practice or an injury. In the case of this former Detroit Lions’ running back, he saw his opportunity as a backup vanish after suffering a season-ending injury
Ameer Abdullah Suffers Season-Ending Injury
Ameer Abdullah’s season ended before it even started, as the San Francisco 49ers placed him on season-ending injured reserve. Abdullah suffered a rib injury in the team’s loss to the Denver Broncos on Saturday, where he recorded four carries for 20 yards.
49ers placed RB Ameer Abdullah on season-ending injured reserve, waived QB Tanner Mordecai and activated OL Andre Dillard off the Active/Physically Unable to Perform List.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 11, 2025
This comes 11 days after signing a one-year deal with the 49ers to bolster their depth at running back after the injuries to Isaac Guerendo and Jordan James. Abdullah was coming off his most productive season since his Lions days, recording 66 carries for 311 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching 40 passes for three touchdowns with the Las Vegas Raiders.
After his performance last season, it’s shocking that no one signed him earlier in the year. His skill set as a pass-catching back is why the Lions drafted him in the second round in 2015.
Because the Lions drafted him that high, there were big expectations that he could become their future, long-term back. Unfortunately, he couldn’t perform to those standards, as he combined for 1,251 rushing yards in 35 games before being released midway through the 2018 season.
Since his days as a Lion, Abdullah bounced around the league, serving as a backup running back to the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers before playing three seasons for the Raiders. Hopefully, Abdullah, who’ll be 33 at the start of next season, receives another opportunity to contribute to a team that needs depth at running back.