San Francisco 49ers: Predicting Risers & Fallers in Chip Kelly’s Offense

Faller: Wide Receiver Bruce Ellington

Maybe head coach Chip Kelly won’t like guys named Bruce on his team.

At any rate, wide receiver Bruce Ellington may not be a benefactor of Kelly’s offense for a number of reasons.

The third-year pro has had some bouts with injuries. And despite being one of the primary returners for special teams, Ellington hasn’t been much of a factor on the 49ers offense. Over his two pro seasons, Ellington has just 19 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns.

One might think Kelly could find a way to utilize Ellington. But at 5’9″ and 197 pounds, Ellington may not fit into Kelly’s offense.

During his three-year tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kelly pursued big-bodied receivers and made an interesting comment about this approach, via Eric Branch of SFGate.com.

“The most important thing for a receiver — and I know I talked about big people beat up little people — that’s more of a defensive philosophy for us,” Kelly said in 2014. “But at the receiver position, it’s your ability to beat one‑on‑one coverage. We see it so much. Honestly, I don’t think people really beat it. You’re going to have to catch a lot of contested footballs.

Remember, Kelly released Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson in 2014, who is 5’10” and 178 pounds.

And such a tendency may not bode well for Ellington either.

Next: Riser: Carlos Hyde