49ers roster: 3 players who benefit from Deebo Samuel skipping OTAs
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers wide receiver Malik Turner
One of the Niners’ many reinforcements at wide receiver this offseason, former Dallas Cowboys wideout Malik Turner signed with the likely understanding he’d be on the fringes of making the 53-man roster.
Having only 12 receptions for 149 yards with three touchdowns last season, Turner’s speed and special teams abilities will have to be a major part of why he winds up surviving roster cuts and claims a fifth or sixth spot on the receiving depth chart by Week 1.
At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Turner’s build isn’t wholly unlike that of Deebo Samuel, but he’s nothing of the dual-threat weapon the latter is.
That said, he just moved up the depth chart one spot with Samuel out.
It’s likely Kyle Shanahan puts a veteran opposite Brandon Aiyuk with the first-team offense during OTAs, meaning Turner will surely end up seeing more snaps in this role alongside other new-face veterans San Francisco signed this offseason, players like Ray-Ray McCloud and Marcus Johnson.
Turner might still be on the weaker side of the bubble anyway, but at least his prospects for making the regular-season roster improve a bit with Samuel being gone.