San Francisco 49ers: 5 veterans who enter 2020 training camp on roster bubble
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers Wide Receiver Dante Pettis
Like C.J. Beathard, wide receiver Dante Pettis has been no stranger to speculation and criticism entering 2020.
In Pettis’ case, going from a highly likely starting wideout at the end of 2018 all the way to the inactive list for Super Bowl LIV was quite the fall. Training camp in 2019 wasn’t kind to Pettis, and his usage slipped considerably during the regular season thereafter.
Getting out of Kyle Shanahan’s proverbial “doghouse” is a tough thing to do, yes. And that’ll be the third-year wide receiver’s top priority in camp this season.
But the context isn’t exactly beneficial for the former Washington Husky. San Francisco added veteran wide receiver Travis Benjamin during the offseason and is expecting both wideouts, Trent Taylor and Jalen Hurd, back from a yearlong injury last season. Additionally, with the 49ers adding rookie pass catchers Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings in the 2020 NFL Draft to bolster the depth behind returnees Deebo Samuel and Kendrick Bourne, it’s not hard to see how Pettis could be a victim of the numbers game even if Samuel’s recent foot injury creates a bigger opening.
Pettis will have to outperform more than a couple of wideouts on the depth chart this training camp, which won’t be an easy task.