3 positives of 49ers not trading for Julio Jones

No. 1: 49ers can focus on remaining wide receiver competition

Again, Julio Jones would have made the Niners offense better. Let’s not argue about that.

But San Francisco isn’t necessarily looking for a player who can come up with eight or nine receptions and 100-plus yards per game. No, in the wake of No. 3 wide receiver Kendrick Bourne going to the New England Patriots this offseason in free agency, the 49ers are looking for a two- or three-catch player who can be a quality possession guy.

There are at least a few options currently on the Niners’ offseason roster who could fill that void. And at a much cheaper rate, too.

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Some young players, such as undrafted rookie Austin Watkins and second-year pro Jauan Jennings, are in the mix for that role. Other veterans like Trent Sherfield, Mohamed Sanu and perhaps even Travis Benjamin might compete as well. And when San Francisco has fielded fourth-year veteran wideout Richie James on offense, good things have happened.

Regardless, it’s a wide-open competition for this spot, and each one of those aforementioned names is fully in the mix.

If anything, it opens up the chance for a heated competition during 49ers training camp and could ultimately produce a solid contributor by the time the 53-man roster is announced.

In the simplest of terms, not landing Jones at least lets the Niners focus on the players they have rather than completely shaking up the depth chart.