San Francisco 49ers: Why Wide Receiver Should Be the Key Focal Point in Training Camp

The San Francisco 49ers will have a plethora of training camp battles to watch in training camp. Which should be the main focal point?

As a team coming off of a disappointing 5-11 season, the San Francisco 49ers have plenty of questions to answer. They need to pick a starting quarterback. They need to figure out the composition of their offensive line. They have battles at cornerback and on the defensive line and essentially all over the roster—very few roster spots can be considered safe as we enter the 2016 season.

If there’s one position that should be a focal point, however, it’s wide receiver. It’s not as big of a question mark as the quarterback position, but the quarterback position’s a fairly easy competition to run, with only two players really having a realistic shot to earn the lion’s share of the snaps.  Whoever wins that battle, however, will have to depend on a receiving corps which is entirely in flux. Torrey Smith will be their top receiver, but every single other position on the roster could go to nearly anyone on the team.

A solid receiving corps can do wonders for a shaky quarterback situation. Look at how Larry Fitzgerald propped up terrible Arizona quarterbacks before Carson Palmer came to town, or how Josh Gordon made Cleveland’s quarterback situation look a little less dire when he was on the field. On the flip side, look how Andrew Luck fell off last year as his receiver situation tanked. No one on an NFL field can do it alone, and a lot of how Blaine Gabbert or Colin Kaepernick perform in 2016 will depend on how well their receiver situation shakes out.

That makes this the single position that the 49ers should spend the most time on this training camp. Chip Kelly’s offense generally has three wide receivers on the field at all times; while most teams used three-receiver sets more than the 49ers did last year, Kelly uses them almost exclusively. The receiver position, and it’s depth, will play a bigger role in the 49ers’ 2016 fortunes than it has in recent years. That makes watching that battle the most significant part of training camp this year.

Let’s go down the depth chart and see what early reports have each player on the roster doing—who looks scheduled to start, who’s fully in the competition for starting slots and who has plenty of work to do before the season begins.

Torrey Smith

Torrey Smith will be the 49ers’ top receiver entering this season; it’s the one role in the corps that’s not up for grabs. Smith earns the top slot not just because of his resume as the only receiver on the roster with significant experience, but because he seems to be taking to Kelly’s offense like a fish to water. According to Matt Barrows, Smith stood out more and more each practice, as the offense gradually improved in tempo and efficiency. He’s catching passes all over the field, and was by far the most prominent receiver during the June workouts. He has the chance to be San Francisco’s version of DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin in Kelly’s offense, a role which leads to great production.

Quinton Patton

It feels like we’ve been waiting for Quinton Patton to break out for years now, and he’s yet to really take that step into being a consistent starter, despite opportunities last year. He shows flashes of great play, but also goes through stretches where he’s very, very quiet and forgettable on the field. He also missed some of the early implementation of Kelly’s system, with his arm in a cast.  He’s still the favorite to win the other outside starting role, but he’s had some poor days in OTAs, with passes bouncing off his hands. If there’s any of the three top receivers likely to lose their spot, it’s Patton.

Bruce Ellington

Bruce Ellington doesn’t fit the standard Chip Kelly mold—he’s short at only 5’9”—he’s still someone that’s clearly caught Kelly’s eye. He’s been working almost exclusively at the slot position, due to his size—but as Kelly essentially always uses three receivers, that’s basically a starting role. Last year in Philadelphia, for example, Kelly’s slot receiver, Jordan Matthews, had 126 targets. Kelly has said he’s “intrigued” by Ellington, and Gabbert seems to be developing some interesting chemistry with him as well.  Given Gabbert’s predilection for short throws, we could see plenty of Gabbert-to-Ellington passes this season if both earn starting roles.

If the season were to start today, that would be your three starting receivers; Smith on the right, Patton on the left and Ellington in the slot. Kelly’s been pretty regimented so far about grouping receivers into those three buckets, so to see who might challenge for those three starting spots, it’s best to take them group-by-group.

Right

With Smith pretty much entrenched as a starter here, being grouped with the right receivers is basically Kelly saying “you’re unlikely to start”—not that there’s not a chance for them to play a significant role as depth receiver, but if you’re looking for someone to crack the starting lineup, these men may not be it. The people working at right receiver during minicamp and OTAs behind Smith were Jerome Simpson, DiAndre Campbell, Aaron Burbridge and DeAndre Smelter.

Some of those names aren’t surprising. Simpson’s best argument for making the roster is his veteran experience, but with the team in the middle of something of a rebuilding year, taking a roster spot from a developing younger player may count against him. Burbridge is a rookie fighting to make a roster slot; while I think he’s got some potential, a sixth-round receiver isn’t likely to jump into the starting lineup in his first year. Campbell was a practice-squad player last year, and while the 49ers’ lack of depth at the position means anyone could earn a spot, I wouldn’t hold my breath on Campbell’s opportunities.

Smelter being in this group, however, is a little disappointing. 2015’s fourth-round pick missed all of last season rehabbing from an ACL injury, and has been hampered with a hamstring injury this offseason. If there’s anyone on the roster who needs plenty of reps, it’s Smelter—he’s talented, but has missed a season and a half, and he’s coming from a very rudimentary passing attack in Georgia Tech’s flexbone triple-option system. He’s going to have to really turn it on if he wants to earn any significant playing time this year; he needs a great training camp.

Left

Unlike the right receiver position, the left receiver slot really is up for grabs with Patton not blowing people out of the water so far. Patton’s still the starter at the moment, but his competition here has a real chance if they step up. Lining up on the left in OTAs and minicamp were Dres Anderson, Eric Rogers and Devon Cajuste.

Forget about Cajuste for a moment—he deserved a better fate than being an undrafted free agent this year, but he’s not someone I’d consider a real possibility to plug-and-play in the starting lineup. It’s the other two names that are fascinating.

The CFL isn’t nearly the same level of competition as the NFL, of course, but when you’re the best player at your position in that league, you deserve a long look. That’s the position Eric Rogers finds himself in. The Glendale native led the CFL last season as a member of the Calgary Stampeders.  He had a league-best 1,448 receiving yards on 87 receptions, and tied for the league lead with 10 receiving touchdowns. He was a deserving CFL All-Star, dominating his opposition—it seems like he was just too good for his competition.

He was in high demand around the league this season, and the 49ers were fortunate to earn his services. The CFL is a lower level of competition, for sure, but that’s where Jeff Garcia made his name before getting his chance in San Francisco, as did players like Rocket Ismail, Mervyn Fernandez, Doug Flutie and Warren Moon. Rogers has a chance.

During OTAs, however, Rogers was outplayed by Anderson. The son of Flipper Anderson and a UDFA a year ago, Anderson has reportedly developed quite a chemistry with Colin Kaepernick. He so far hasn’t shown some of the issues with drops he struggled with in college, which helps boost his chances. He’s the one who moved into the starting lineup when Patton tweaked his knee and had to leave briefly, so that’s very interesting. He doesn’t have the same pedigree as Rogers, so it’s possible we’re seeing a small sample size performance on a handful of throws without pads, but it’s always promising when UDFAs flash real skills. This is the real battle to watch.

Slot

During OTAs and minicamp, Bruce Ellington was being backed up by DeAndrew White and Bryce Treggs. Treggs is another UDFA, and I wouldn’t consider him a major threat to make the roster unless he really excels as a punt returner, but White is an interesting player in the competition.  Remember, White was a star in last year’s OTAs and training camp, and then the regular season started and…nothing. He had two receptions all of last season, both happening in one game.

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While it’s possible last season’s preseason performance was just succeeding against poor quality opposition, I’m not willing to count out the possibility that last year’s coaching staff simply didn’t know how to use White correctly in the regular season. He’ll be someone to watch for a roster spot, pushing Ellington for his starting job throughout preseason.

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All stats, records and accolades courtesy of Pro Football Reference and Sports Reference.