49ers roster: 5 veterans who may not make 53-man group in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Dante Pettis ‘going on a mission’ might not be enough for 49ers roster
Facing a similar context as Richie James amid a crowded wide receiver room is third-year wideout Dante Pettis, whose dramatic fall from grace in 2019 was one of the few negative storylines from an otherwise storybook year for San Francisco.
Just think, Pettis looked like a bona fide WR1 late his rookie season, eventually falling all the way to being inactive for the Super Bowl.
Earlier this offseason, Kyle Shanahan stressed he wanted Pettis to go on a “mission” this offseason to rectify one of the worst sophomore slumps in recent franchise history. Perhaps that’ll do the trick. But getting out of Shanahan’s proverbial doghouse isn’t an easy task.
Yes, the 49ers dished out a second-round pick to grab Pettis in the 2018 NFL Draft, and it could be a bit premature to give up on him so early in his career.
But when considering the dead money owed to Pettis is under $1.4 million if cut this offseason, it’s very possible Shanahan wants to hold that roster spot for someone he views as much more essential to the Niners’ win-now prospects and not someone who has turned into a project.