49ers low-budget NFL free agency target: WR Breshad Perriman

The San Francisco 49ers may not be able to bring back veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Breshad Perriman is a low-budget option in NFL free agency.

Currently armed with just over $12 million in salary cap space, the San Francisco 49ers aren’t going to have the easiest of times trying to re-sign one of their top offensive contributors from the 2019 season, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Simply put, would the Niners like to re-sign Sanders? Most likely. Are they going to be able to do it? Probably not.

It would be one thing if San Francisco had a likable stockpile of up-and-coming wide receivers to take Sanders’ spot. Outside of wideouts Deebo Samuel and Kendrick Bourne, however, the choices seem slim. 2019 rookie Jalen Hurd spent the entirety of last season on injured reserve and has yet to play a snap in a regular-season game. Slot receiver Trent Taylor has been banged up the last two seasons, too. Meanwhile, fellow wide receivers Dante Pettis and Richie James weren’t used much at all last year, offensively.

The 2020 NFL Draft class is deep, which provides another option. Armed with just one pick, No. 31 overall, in the first four rounds, though, the Niners may want to consider other routes.

One of those, especially if budget is a consideration, is Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Breshad Perriman.

Perriman, the Baltimore Ravens’ first-round selection from the 2015 NFL Draft, had “bust” written all over him during his first three seasons within the NFL ranks. After flaming out in Baltimore after just two years, the always-prone-to-drop-the-ball Perriman spent a modestly productive 2018 campaign with the Cleveland Browns before the Bucs signed him to a one-year deal in 2019.

Amid injuries to Tampa Bay’s other top receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Perriman managed to find some footing as the de facto No. 1 option.

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Generated 2/19/2020.

Perriman, still only 26 years old, managed to make Pro Football Focus‘ list of low-cost options this offseason:

"Paired with Jameis Winston‘s proclivity for pushing the ball downfield, Perriman found a home in Tampa Bay as a deep threat. Among all wide receivers with 50 or more targets, Perriman led the NFL in average depth of target (18.8 yards), and he dropped just one of his 65 targets on the season. Injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin thrust him into the No. 1 role late in the season, which was a role that Perriman thrived in with three consecutive 100-yard games to close the year."

More importantly, Perriman didn’t appear to be plagued with the ever-present drops that accompanied him early in his career.

So, why would he be a fit for the 49ers.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense is built around wide receivers possessing two elements: speed and route-running ability. Perriman was one of the better route runners in the 2015 NFL Draft, and his speed was electrifying.

Like a 4.24 40-yard time at his pro day electrifying.

If there was one thing missing from Shanahan’s offense in 2019, it was down-the-field speed. This was supposed to be an aspect held by wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, whose Olympic-level speed was intended to take the top off opposing defenses.

Yet Goodwin, due to injuries and personal tragedies, quickly became an afterthought during the season. And San Francisco never found an adequate replacement.

Perriman could still offer that unique attribute.

And if he does wind up filling a role, the 49ers could save a substantial amount of cash by going after the cheaper, younger Perriman, letting Sanders walk in NFL free agency instead.