49ers depth chart: 5 dark-horse players who can steal a roster spot

49ers Depth Chart No. 3: Wide Receiver Tavon Austin

Sticking with the wide receiver theme here, Tavon Austin could end up making Kyle Shanahan’s regular-season roster based on two notable attributes: speed and above-average return abilities.

The Niners lost their primary return man, Richie James, to a wrist injury earlier this offseason, and he’s expected to be out for at least the first six weeks of the regular season on the physically unable-to-perform list. While San Francisco has a number of other viable return options, including fellow wideouts Dante Pettis and Trent Taylor, Austin at least excelled in this stead with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams between 2013 and 2016, including a career-best 11.2-yard punt-return average in 2014.

And while Austin never materialized as the serious receiving threat the Rams hoped he’d be when they took him No. 8 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft, his speed opens up another possibility for Shanahan’s offense.

The 49ers depth chart for deep threats took two hits during the offseason, first the trade that sent wide receiver Marquise Goodwin to the Philadelphia Eagles, then veteran wideout Travis Benjamin electing to opt out of the 2020 campaign.

Currently, there’s no bona fide downfield option for Shanahan to use as his field stretcher.

Austin, who ran a 4.34 40-yard dash during his NFL Scouting Combine workouts, still has speed as a part of his game.

And that, too, could make him a late add to the Niners’ 53-man roster.