SF 49ers: 5 smart decisions Kyle Shanahan made with 53-man roster
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Keeping Dante Pettis on SF 49ers Roster
It’s still unclear what his role will be, but embattled wide receiver Dante Pettis finally got some vindication after a forgettable 2019 campaign that led to plenty of speculation he wouldn’t make the cut in 2020.
But he has.
Granted, the context opened up a better chance for Pettis, who fell all the way from a Round 2 draft pick in 2018 to being inactive for the Super Bowl last February. The Niners were dealing with plenty of injuries at wide receiver, namely Deebo Samuel (foot) and Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring), which gave Pettis increased looks.
Yet Pettis took advantage of those opportunities, going on a resurgence campaign of sorts and ultimately getting back out of Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse.
For Pettis, it’s a great storyline and something to continue following. But it also shows players can work their way out of Shanahan’s bad graces, which hasn’t always been the case with a number of players who have fallen into this category previously.
That helps set a precedent. Pettis has a new chance again because he put in the work to seize it.
And with San Francisco’s wide receiver depth chart expecting both Samuel and Aiyuk back relatively soon, the offense should be much better for it.