Assuming he’ll pass his physical, running back Ja’Quan Gardner will soon become the newest member of the San Francisco 49ers. That’s according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, who also notes that after he Gardner clears his physical, San Francisco will deploy him in the team’s final preseason game this Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The final preseason game is traditionally sat out by most team starters, so running back Jerick McKinnon is expected to be on the sidelines for the Chargers game. Matt Breida will miss the game, too, as the 49ers are not going to risk him aggravating a shoulder injury he sustained back in Week 1 of the preseason against the Dallas Cowboys.  Meanwhile, Joe Williams is nursing a fractured rib that will keep him out of action until at least the first week of the regular season.

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With McKinnon, Breida, and Williams out, the 49ers will rely on Alfred Morris, Jeremy Nichols, and Jeffrey Williams to handle the rock in the backfield against the Chargers, with Gardner providing another pair of legs to help San Francisco’s ground attack.

Ja’Quan Gardner is a product of Humboldt State, where he rushed for 1,321 yards and 21 touchdowns during his senior year in 2017. Throughout his college career, he had 5,495 rushing yards and 72 rushing scores.