49ers Sign DuJuan Harris, Waive Travaris Cadet: Latest Details and Reaction

The San Francisco 49ers announced Tuesday they’ve made a running back swap, signing DuJuan Harris and waiving Travaris Cadet in hopes of bolstering what’s arguably the league’s most beleaguered backfield. 

The team placed starting running back Carlos Hyde on injured reserve earlier this month in what was a culmination of a foot injury he suffered in October that he was unable to recover from. Backup Shaun Draughn left the team’s Week 15 game with a knee injury, and his status remains in question.  

Harris spent three seasons with the Green Bay Packers, appearing in 20 games and running for 221 yards on 50 attempts with two touchdowns. He broke into the league with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted rookie in 2011, but he hasn’t seen much playing time in the five years since. 

His path has weaved to practice squads with the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks—where he was promoted to the active roster earlier this month then released—and, most recently, the Baltimore Ravens. 

He’ll join Kendall Gaskins, the team’s third-stringer, in the San Francisco backfield over the team’s final two games, as the 49ers have been eliminated from the playoffs. 

San Francisco ranks 23rd in rushing offense, is averaging just 3.9 yards per carry and plays its final two games against the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams, which hold the league’s 19th- and 23rd-ranked run defenses, respectively.    

But Harris is positioned to utilize this opportunity as an audition of sorts if he hopes to continue his playing career in 2016.