3 wide receivers 49ers could sign after losing Jalen Hurd

The 49ers lost Jalen Hurd to a season-ending ACL tear, meaning there’s some room for wide receiver help in NFL free agency with these three targets.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jalen Hurd suffered yet another tough break in his still-young career after being selected by the team in Round 3 of the 2019 NFL Draft.

One season removed from a year-long back injury, Hurd went down in training camp with what appeared to be a non-contact injury. Later on, it was revealed Hurd tore his ACL and would miss his second pro year in a row.

Stating the obvious, it’s certainly a blow for a player who has so much promise. Head coach Kyle Shanahan could have used Hurd’s massive 6-foot-4 frame and running back skill set to get exceptionally creative with the team’s offense this season.

A number of other receivers on San Francisco’s depth chart figure to benefit, particularly seventh-round rookie Jauan Jennings, who also possesses a similar build to that of Hurd. On top of that, the Niners have worked in other wide receivers to supplement what’s still a questionable unit during training camp.

As far as the NFL free agency market goes, there aren’t going to be a lot of worthy options out there. There are, however, some veteran possibilities who could potentially help out what’s otherwise a predominantly young wide receiver corps Shanahan has at his disposal. While it’s a different context, adding a veteran might help in a similar way as to what now-New Orleans Saints receiver Emmanuel Sanders offered the team during the second half of 2019.

The 49ers don’t boast a ton of cap space. And should Shanahan and Co. pluck a wide receiver off the wire, there’s no guarantee he makes the 53-man roster by Week 1.

Still, these three options might be worth an extra look.