Jordan Watkins is making his case the hard way, and Kyle Shanahan has noticed.
The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver has put together a solid stretch in 2026, piling up 10 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown. He should have had another score, too, after one of his highlight-reel grabs was wiped out against the Atlanta Falcons.
For a player whose rookie year was interrupted by a high ankle sprain in preseason and then a calf injury during the regular season, the jump has been obvious. Watkins has already appeared in six games this season, and the difference from where he was a year ago has shown up in more than just the box score.
Shanahan said Watkins earned his chance by staying locked in when things weren’t easy.
"Yeah. I think the more you play, the more success you have, the more confidence you get. I think Jordan's worked through all this and it's hard to just get playing time on our team," Shanahan said to reporters.
"You've got to beat people out. You've got to go ahead of them.
Just because you're capable, it doesn't mean that you get it. You've got to beat guys out and he's been close to that, just not quite as consistent as a couple of guys in front of him.
"Got his opportunity with injuries and just the way he attacked it in practice. Some guys, when they don't get their opportunities, they start to make excuses, blame people, listen to social media too much and they don't work quite the same.
"Then their opportunity comes and they're actually worse than what they were two weeks before that. Credit to Jordan, he wasn't like that at all, which takes a mentally strong kid. He kept grinding, kept working and he kept asking what he could do more and to get out there.
"It was, 'Dude, you've just got to be ready when your time's there. You didn't get ahead of those guys in training camp, but that time will come and hopefully you're ready when it comes.'
"He's been more than ready and he's been able to string together a few weeks and he should have more confidence because, yeah, he's earned it."
Watkins still has room to grow, but the leap from his rookie season to his second year has been substantial. The bigger question now is whether he can keep stacking productive weeks and keep building Shanahan’s trust. He’s taken the opening in front of him; now he has to make sure he holds onto it.
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