3 biggest concerns for 49ers with Week 1 just around the corner
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Dropped passes are becoming a thing for 49ers
Trey Lance’s first NFL pass, albeit a preseason one, hit wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk right in the numbers, only Aiyuk couldn’t hold onto it and the ball fell to the ground.
All told, Lance’s receivers dropped nine passes during the preseason, which might be partially blamed on the quarterback’s fastball-like tosses. Yet NFL-caliber receivers are also responsible for catching any kind of heat regardless of the velocity.
Aiyuk and fellow wideout Jalen Hurd both dropped two passes during the preseason. In 2019, fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel dropped nine passes, and those were coming on relative floaters from Jimmy Garoppolo.
Related Story: Are dropped passes becoming a problem for 49ers?
Dropped passes are going to happen, yes. But two of the 49ers’ primary receiving weapons have unfortunately developed something of a bad reputation for not holding onto the ball.
Perhaps this is a worry that rectifies itself as the regular season moves along. And it’s also good preseason stats don’t count for anything other than evaluation and speculation.
Since it was a preseason storyline, though, one can fairly worry if it’ll wind up being a bigger problem once Week 1 kicks off.