3 reasons why Brandon Aiyuk is even better for 49ers in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Healthy 49ers teammates complement Brandon Aiyuk
Again, back on the injury front.
The Niners’ top-three receiving weapons are as follows:
- George Kittle
- Brandon Aiyuk
- Deebo Samuel
All three dealt with varying injuries of one kind or another, particularly with Kittle and Samuel suffering long-term injuries and being limited to just eight and seven games, respectively.
Samuel and Aiyuk were intended to be San Francisco’s one-two punch at the position. But they took the field together just six times in 2020. That was it. And when one looks at how many games the trio of Aiyuk, Samuel and Kittle all played together, it happened just five times.
The 49ers only had all three of their top pass-catchers for less than one-third of the year.
A simple law of averages suggests the Niners won’t go through that kind of attrition again in 2021. And with all three players on the field at the same time, opposing defenses are going to be more than challenged to cover all three options.
In turn, Aiyuk will benefit by having other legitimate threats supporting him, benefiting from their presence and adding to his already impressive on-field portfolio.