While the 49ers pieced together a good enough group of wide receivers to reach the Super Bowl a season ago, the position’s stability is still in question heading in to 2020.
With Emmanuel Sanders set for unrestricted free agency and a slew of unproven playmakers across the depth chart, San Francisco has some work to do to restore their receiving corps to a championship level.
With free agency and the draft still ahead in the offseason, let’s look at what the 49ers are dealing with at receiver:
Deebo Samuel, 24
Samuel became a go-to weapon for the 49ers’ offense late in the season. He was very good as a receiver, and churned out historic numbers on the ground. The big question with Samuel is whether there’s another level for him in Year 2. If he takes a step up – he can be the team’s No. 1 receiver. If he moves laterally or takes a step backward – they’ll need a significant upgrade at the other starting receiver spot.
Emmanuel Sanders, 32
The soon-to-be 33-year-old was a vital piece of the 49ers’ Super Bowl run. He played in 10 games and posted 36 catches, 502 yards and three touchdowns. Now he’s an unrestricted free agent and may get more money and years than the cash-strapped 49ers are able to spend. It sounds like the team would like to have the veteran in their receiving corps, but Sanders could understandably exit for a final payday in the twilight of his career. Even if he does return, there’s a question about how much he provides as a primary option, or a secondary option to Sanders.
Kendrick Bourne, 24
Bourne is a restricted free agent this offseason, but his reliability in three NFL seasons makes him an essential piece of the 49ers’ receiving corps moving forward. The numbers are never going to be huge for the former undrafted free agent, but he’s a fearless pass catcher who turned into a go-to target for Jimmy Garoppolo in the red zone and on third downs. The skill set isn’t there for Bourne to be a No. 1 or 2 receiver, but he’s a perfect third or fourth option in a good passing offense.
Dante Pettis, 24
2019 was a nightmare season for Pettis, who had a strong rookie campaign and looked in line to have a big role in his second year. He never got that second year off the ground though and his production dipped dramatically until his eventual benching at the end of the year. He posted just 11 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. That’s a far cry from his 27 catches, 467 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. Head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear Pettis is still in the mix at receiver, but another slow offseason could push him off the roster. This is a huge six months for Pettis leading into the regular season.
Marquise Goodwin, 29
It looked like Goodwin’s days with the 49ers were numbered given his contract situation. However, Shanahan said at the NFL combine that the team won’t release Goodwin outright because of his value. There aren’t a lot of players who can replace Goodwin’s speed. The offense certainly missed that speed after he went on IR in December with knee and foot injuries, but even before that he’d started falling out of the rotation. It appears Goodwin is in the same boat as Pettis in that a strong offseason likely carves out a roster spot. A bad offseason likely means the opposite.
Richie James Jr., 24
James’ role was essentially reduced to special teams work as a return man in his second season. The 2018 seventh-round pick caught only six passes, but he turned those into 165 yards and a touchdown. There’s an explosive element to James’ game that not a lot of players have, he’s just not been consistently good enough for Shanahan to earn more snaps. He played only 19 percent of the offensive downs in 2019. There’s a numbers game that may make the returner role less relevant in James’ argument to stay on the team, which means he’ll have to show more as a receiver to work his way more firmly onto the depth chart.
Jalen Hurd, 24
There’s a real possibility Hurd winds up listed as a tight end this season after missing his rookie year with a back injury. A tight end designation wouldn’t change the versatility Hurd offers the 49ers though. He’s a receiver, who played running back in college for three years before switching positions and schools and having a productive final year as a receiver. He has the size (6-4, 227 pounds) and tenacity to fill out some and play tight end to give the 49ers’ offense an added wrinkle. On the other hand, he fractured his back last season and wasn’t medically cleared to play by the end of the year. General manager John Lynch expects him to be back for the full offseason program, but the injury question looms. He’s arguably the most interesting 49er to watch during the offseason program.
Trent Taylor, 25
Injury luck hasn’t been on Taylor’s side. He had back surgery before the 2018 season and never quite got on track after a solid rookie campaign in 2017. This year he hurt his foot in the preseason and was only supposed to miss a few weeks. A few weeks turned into a full season after five foot surgeries. Taylor was perhaps the 49ers’ best receiver in camp last year, and his reliability from the slot on third downs would be another element teams had to account for when defending San Francisco. Garoppolo also has a good rapport him, which could make Taylor one of the most important players on offense next year. Like Hurd though, the injury question mark is a big one to erase.
Jordan Matthews, 27
While Matthews is a big-bodied receiver with an exceptional track record of red zone production and versatility, he never made enough of a mark to earn snaps with the 49ers. He was cut before the start of the year, and only brought back after injuries impacted the position to the point of needing an additional body. He was inactive for all but one game. It’s hard to imagine he’s back next year unless everything goes disastrously at the position.
Chris Thompson, 25
Thompson never made it to the active roster and spent most of the year on the practice squad. Barring something bad happening or a massive improvement by him in the offseason, the 49ers aren’t likely to vacate a roster spot or give up on one of the receivers they’ve invested highly in to keep Thompson. He last played in a game for the Texans in 2017 when he was an undrafted rookie.
Shawn Poindexter, 24
The 2019 undrafted rookie tore his ACL during the preseason and spent the year on Injured Reserve. His chances of making the club are low, but he’ll still be an intriguing prospect to watch if he’s ready to return in the preseason. The former Arizona Wildcat is 6-5, 218 pounds and has a volleyball background that shows in the way he plays the position. He has a ton of athleticism, but his injury last season on top of his lack of experience will probably keep him from making too many waves.
