The San Francisco 49ers are staring at a thin wide receiver room, but all the signs point to them staying put.
That’s a notable stance considering how badly the injuries have piled up. Deebo Samuel is out for several weeks with a hamstring injury, and he’s joined on the sideline by Ricky Pearsall, who is dealing with a knee injury, Demarcus Robinson with an ankle injury, Christian Kirk with a hamstring injury and De'Zhaun Stribling with an ankle injury.
Even with that kind of attrition, there doesn’t appear to be much urgency from Kyle Shanahan or John Lynch to chase outside help. Trade ideas have floated around, including possible deals for Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas Jr. or Minnesota Vikings receiver Jauan Jennings, but the 49ers don’t seem inclined to make a move just because the depth chart looks bare.
Shanahan made that pretty clear Monday when he was asked about the situation.
"I think we have enough," Shanahan responded on Monday when asked about the receiver depth. "We’ve got three guys on practice squad also who can help.
Anytime you lose this number of guys, four guys or five guys whatever it is, it’s a huge challenge. But, we do have guys in this building who can do it and we’ll always look."
The Week 5 win over the Seattle Seahawks offered a glimpse of that approach in action. When Samuel left that game, veteran Brandin Cooks, elevated from the practice squad, delivered the key late touchdown catch.
There’s also a path for Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins to pick up more snaps if needed.
And the 49ers’ own schedule helps explain why they may be willing to ride it out. On Wednesday, the team worked out four linebackers and no receivers, which suggests the focus may be more on Dre Greenlaw’s suspension than adding another wideout. San Francisco still has two games left before its Week 8 bye - Monday night against the Washington Commanders in Week 6 and then at the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 - which gives the injured receivers more time to move closer to returning.
For now, the picture is pretty clear: the 49ers appear content to absorb the hit at receiver for a couple more weeks, lean on what they have, and hope the bye sets up a healthier second half. So if you were waiting for a splashy move at wideout, don’t hold your breath.
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Shanahan Just Made Monday Night About More Than Beating Washington
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That perspective adds another layer to a matchup that already looks lopsided on paper, with San Francisco leading the NFL in point differential and Washington sitting at 1-3-1. It is also a reunion with a coach Shanahan knows well, only now Quinn is guiding the Commanders, which gives this one a little more history than your average cross-country trip. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Get An Early Edge As Commanders Backfield Suddenly Thins
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Washington still has options, of course, with Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler expected to carry more of the load. The bigger question now is how the Commanders fill out the rest of that group for game day, and whether the added uncertainty forces them to shuffle more than they would like before facing a 49ers defense that will already be focused on controlling the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]
Renardo Green Is Giving The 49ers Defense Something It Needed
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The progress has not come out of nowhere, either. Kyle Shanahan pointed to the work Green did before the offseason program even got rolling as a major reason for the jump, and it is the kind of behind-the-scenes preparation that tends to show up once the games start counting. For a defense that always values playmaking on the back end, Green is starting to provide exactly the sort of presence that can change the way opponents test San Francisco. [Read more 🡒]