49ers roster: 5 veterans who may not make 53-man group in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Richie James and a crowded wide receiver room on 49ers roster
Late last season, Kyle Shanahan essentially trusted only three of his wide receivers: Deebo Samuel, Kendrick Bourne and Emmanuel Sanders.
Sanders is gone now, yet the Niners brought aboard some reinforcements by drafting Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk and Tennessee’s Jauan Jennings, inking free-agent wideout Travis Benjamin and are also getting wide receivers Trent Taylor and Jalen Hurd back from season-long injuries suffered last year.
None of this bodes well for Richie James who, despite some flash plays on offense last season, was primarily used as a return specialist only.
Why James wasn’t utilized more on offense is anyone’s guess. But the fact is he was mostly a non-factor on that side of the ball, and it’s going to be difficult for James to assume a prominent role this season. There’s always the chance James has a terrific preseason, much like he has since joining San Francisco as a rookie in 2018.
But seeing how those efforts haven’t necessarily translated into regular-season results, combined with the new faces in town, James could find himself off the 49ers roster by Week 1.