SF 49ers roster: 4 positions Niners must address in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: SF 49ers need depth at wide receiver, too
San Francisco has its top two wide receivers figured out going forward: Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
After that, it’s an open-ended question.
Arguably the only likable option on the depth chart is the seldom-used Richie James, who has been effective in spurts but only seems to get attention when there’s a lack of other options available, such as Week 9 last year on Thursday Night Football when neither Aiyuk nor Samuel were playing and James registered a career-best nine catches for 184 yards.
Fellow receivers like Kendrick Bourne and Trent Taylor are unrestricted free agents. The 2019 third-round pick, Jalen Hurd, has yet to step foot on the field during a regular-season game after dealing with serious injuries in back-to-back seasons.
If there’s good news here, the SF 49ers are looking at tertiary options both to bulk up red-zone options, third-down targets and complementary depth weapons. Those kinds of players are relatively easy to find and tend to be cheaper than first-string options.
Still, the Niners can’t afford to pass up on attempts to bulk up on this portion of the roster, particularly in the wake of last season’s attrition at the position.