49ers free agency: Grading each opening-wave move by John Lynch
By Peter Panacy
John Lynch, 49ers not re-signing Trent Sherfield
player. 59. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Miami Dolphins. Wide Receiver. Trent Sherfield. B-
During training camp and the preseason a year ago, Niners fans were convinced wide receiver Trent Sherfield was going to be a hidden-gem find the team discovered in NFL free agency the previous offseason.
After all, Sherfield was catching passes left at right from both of San Francisco’s quarterbacks, Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, and the hope was Sherfield would turn into a No. 3 option on the depth chart behind Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
Well, not so much once the regular season commenced.
Mostly a special teams ace earlier in his career, Sherfield effectively reverted back to being such again with the 49ers in 2021, his regular-season stat line limited to a mere nine catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Sherfield ultimately lost his job as a No. 3 wideout to second-year pro Jauan Jennings, and Jennings is likely going to handle those duties again in 2022.
However, the one area in which the Niners probably question is whether or not their receiving depth behind Samuel, Aiyuk and Jennings will be sufficient enough. And considering Sherfield’s rapport with Lance, who’ll be the starter moving forward, one can fairly question if Sherfield could have remained as a viable option.