The 49ers’ receiver room has been hit hard, and that’s why Dante Pettis is back in the building. He’s 31 now, and after eight years of bouncing around the league, he’s being asked to help fill a glaring need for this weekend’s game against the Broncos.
Last year, Pettis caught nine passes for the Saints. This year, the Bills cut him after training camp.
That signing says plenty about how thin San Francisco has become at wideout. Ricky Pearsall is out for the season with a PCL injury.
De'Zhaun Stribling is sidelined for months with a torn deltoid ligament in his ankle. Demarcus Robinson is out for weeks with a high-ankle sprain.
Mike Evans could also miss the upcoming game with a rib strain that is extremely painful. The 49ers need bodies, and they need them fast.
Brandin Cooks is another name in the mix after signing to the practice squad last week. He’s 33, and unlike Pettis, he actually was a productive player once upon a time. Still, the better answer is already on the roster: Jordan Watkins.
The 49ers traded up to draft Watkins in Round 4 last year, but he barely got a chance as a rookie. This offseason, he didn’t blow anyone away in the preseason, and that seemed to leave him stuck on the outside - he was inactive in Week 2.
But after that game, Watkins went into Kyle Shanahan’s office and asked what he needed to do to get on the field. Shanahan challenged him, then gave him two targets against the Cardinals.
Watkins made the most of them. He caught both passes for 60 yards.
That matters here because Watkins is 24, he’s healthy, and he brings speed that this offense badly needs. The source of that speed problem is obvious: the 49ers are short on explosiveness at receiver right now, and Watkins has a chance to help solve it.
The case is simple. Pettis has the familiarity.
Cooks has the veteran resume. But Watkins is the one who can actually grow into the role, and he just answered Shanahan’s challenge with a real performance.
He should get more snaps and more targets, not be buried behind older stopgaps who barely know the system.
In Other News...
Fred Warner May Have Created A Rivalry Problem For The 49ers
Fred Warners postgame comments after the 49ers close win over the Arizona Cardinals added a little edge to a division race that already has plenty of it. The veteran linebacker said the earlier meetings were not true NFL ball because starters were sitting out in the fourth quarter, a remark that was really about the competitive feel of those games rather than a direct shot at anyone in particular.
Even so, the line has a way of landing differently when a division rival is involved, especially with the Los Angeles Rams dealing with their own adversity this season. If the Rams take it as a slight, Warner may have given them a little extra fuel, and the 49ers will find out soon enough whether a passing comment turns into something bigger on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Tyreek Hill Is Back On The Radar For Banged-Up 49ers
Tyreek Hill is back in the conversation after posting on social media that he is close to returning to work, a notable update for a receiver still working back from a severe knee injury. Around the league, that kind of message tends to spark instant speculation, and it lands especially hard for the 49ers, who have been hit by a string of wide receiver injuries this season.
San Franciscos need at the position has only grown with the recent rib injury to Mike Evans adding to the teams already banged-up receiving group. Hill has naturally become a name to watch, but for now the interest remains just that, with no official contact or deal reported as the 49ers and other teams monitor his recovery. [Read more 🡒]
Brock Purdy's Hot Start Is About To Face A Different Test
Brock Purdys early-season surge has drawn plenty of notice around the league, with Dan Orlovsky and Pat McAfee both publicly praising the 49ers quarterback and putting him in the early MVP conversation. The numbers have backed up the buzz, as Purdy has been near the top of the league in completion rate, touchdowns and touchdown-to-interception ratio while guiding San Francisco through a fast start.
The next step in evaluating just how real this run is may come this week, when the 49ers face the Broncos. Some of Purdys early opponents have not exactly presented elite defenses, so Denver offers a different kind of measuring stick for San Franciscos offense and its quarterback, who will be asked to keep the same rhythm against a sturdier test. [Read more 🡒]