These 4 49ers need to play well in preseason Week 1 vs. Cowboys
WR Dante Pettis
Dante Pettis has been hailed as the 49ers savior at the wide receiver position. Good enough to avoid trading for Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown.
But Pettis has been around average during a training camp when most other wide receivers have been excelling. Kendrick Bourne has been electric. Deebo Samuel is the slant god. Trent Taylor has been consistent like his rookie year. And finally, Richie James has continued to impress, as our own Jeremy Wolfhart broke down here.
Pettis will not be cut, in case I’m leading anyone in the wrong direction. But nothing is guaranteed for a wide receiver here. Head coach Kyle Shanahan explained as much when interviewed (h/t Niners Nation):
"No, the picture isn’t getting clear, because I think we’ve got a bunch of guys who can compete and I don’t see any guys that are just for sure starters or for sure backups. I think there’s some real competition there.”"
Pettis still has the upper hand, but it’s slipping bit by bit. Look at this tweet by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat’s Grant Cohn:
Players with the most targets from Jimmy Garoppolo thru Day 10 of training camp:
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) August 7, 2019
George Kittle: 26 (16 catches)
Trent Taylor: 22 (15 catches)
Dante Pettis: 18 (7 catches)
Tevin Coleman: 14 (5 catches)
Marquise Goodwin: 10 (4 catches)
With wide receivers so young on the roster, competition is a good thing. And as a result, Pettis needs to step up.