Patrick Taylor’s latest NFL chapter closed Friday the same way several of his others have opened: with another team moving on and the former Green Bay Packers running back looking for work.
The San Francisco 49ers released the ex-Packers weapon from injured reserve with an injury settlement, making Taylor an unrestricted free agent. He had been placed on IR on Aug. 20, the day of San Francisco’s preseason game against the Chargers, after an injury that was not officially detailed.
One report tied the issue to an abductor strain suffered in the preseason opener against Tennessee, when Taylor started and finished with five carries for minus-5 yards on 22 offensive snaps.
Because he was already on IR, the move does not count toward the 49ers’ cuts to 53.
For Packers fans, the news lands as a familiar footnote. Taylor signed with Green Bay as an undrafted free agent out of Memphis in April 2020 and spent the better part of four seasons in the organization, bouncing between the practice squad and the active roster.
He missed his rookie year after a non-football foot injury, then carved out a role as a reliable third-down and special-teams piece behind Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon.
His Green Bay production was modest but useful. In 2021 he appeared in nine games and scored his first NFL touchdown. In 2022 he played 14 games, mostly on coverage units. His best Packers season came in 2023: 11 games, 32 carries for 141 yards, and a career-high 11 receptions for 49 yards.
Green Bay even signed him off the Patriots’ practice squad that November, and he appeared in two playoff games as the Packers made their postseason run.
Those years established the identity that followed him west. Taylor was never going to be a featured back. He was a 6-foot-2, 217-pound depth piece who knew the playbook, hit the hole when asked, and stayed available on special teams.
San Francisco signed him in April 2024. That fall he played 13 games, made his first career start, and posted career-best rushing numbers: 39 carries for 183 yards and a touchdown, including a 109-yard game in the season finale at Arizona. A shoulder injury wiped out his 2025 season on IR.
The 49ers still brought him back on a one-year deal this past March. Another preseason injury ended the experiment.
Taylor is 28. Career totals sit at 47 games, 104 carries for 444 yards and two touchdowns, plus 17 catches for 94 yards. He has already cleared waivers.
When he is healthy, another team will likely need a veteran who can dress on Sundays and contribute on fourth down.
Green Bay has moved on from that era of the backfield. Taylor’s release is a reminder of how thin the line is for undrafted runners who do everything asked of them and still wait for the next phone call.
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