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San Francisco 49ers: ‘Keep or Cut’ Calls on 10 Notable Players for 2017

By Peter Panacy

Nov 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks on from the sidelines before the game against the New Orleans Saints during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks on from the sidelines before the game against the New Orleans Saints during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) catches a pass during the first half against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) catches a pass during the first half against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2: Wide Receiver Torrey Smith

Wide receiver Torrey Smith was involved in some trade buzz with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, but it didn’t amount to anything.

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora brought this up again earlier this month, suggesting another Smith-to-Philly deal.

It’s speculation and nothing more at this point. But it isn’t hard to see why some might view Smith as a trade commodity.

Smith’s two years in San Francisco have been the worst of his six-year career:

Receiving & Rushing Table
Games Receiving
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD Lng R/G Y/G Ctch%
2011 22 BAL WR 82 16 14 95 50 841 16.8 7 74 3.1 52.6 52.6%
2012 23 BAL WR 82 16 16 110 49 855 17.4 8 54 3.1 53.4 44.5%
2013 24 BAL WR 82 16 16 137 65 1128 17.4 4 74 4.1 70.5 47.4%
2014 25 BAL WR 82 16 16 92 49 767 15.7 11 53 3.1 47.9 53.3%
2015 26 SFO te/WR 82 16 12 62 33 663 20.1 4 76 2.1 41.4 53.2%
2016 27 SFO WR 82 12 12 49 20 267 13.4 3 53 1.7 22.3 40.8%
Career 92 86 545 266 4521 17.0 37 76 2.9 49.1
4 yrs BAL 64 62 434 213 3591 16.9 30 74 3.3 56.1
2 yrs SFO 28 24 111 53 930 17.5 7 76 1.9 33.2

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/17/2017.

For a player on a $40 million deal through 2019, those stats hurt.

But as Niner Noise noted earlier, Smith might be one of those players to benefit under head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Related Story: 5 49ers Who Will Benefit Under Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Removing Smith from the equation wouldn’t help the Niners offense. He’s still in the prime of his career, and his natural abilities should easily play into what Shanahan wants to do.

Smith isn’t going anywhere.

Verdict: Keep