Jauan Jennings is a 49ers safety valve in an exciting offense

He’s easy to miss among all the big names in the 49ers offense, but wide receiver Jauan Jennings has found an important niche. 

One of the exciting things about a healthy San Francisco 49ers team is seeing the array of talented players on an offense that was once very run-heavy.

You have the talented running back duo of Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell, an excellent wide receiver duo in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, one of the elite tight ends in the league in George Kittle and an offensive line anchored by the best blindside protector in the business in Trent Williams.

In such an illustrious offense, it can be forgiven if fans forget the players underneath on the depth chart.

But in such an offense there’s one important role, and that’s the safety valve.

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McCaffrey fits into this role somewhat, but he’s more of a weapon that occasionally fills that role.

But one person whom quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has frequently sought when he needs to make a key throw is wide receiver Jauan Jennings.

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Jennings is a ridiculously efficient receiver when it comes to plays on third down or in the red zone, as showcased here by Pro Football Focus’ Jeff Deeney:

It’s a level of efficiency that’s very impressive, and it shouldn’t be underestimated exactly how valuable such a good safety valve is to an offense. A safe set of hands goes a long way and even if Jennings doesn’t possess the yards-after-the-catch ability of his fellow players on the offense, he’s definitely the most valuable member of the team when he is called upon.

And it’s something that carried over from last year, especially as Jennings was such a reliable third-down weapon for San Francisco in 2021.

It’s going to be exciting to see the 49ers offense on the field for the rest of the season, but make sure not to forget Jennings on the field.

He isn’t the flashiest player out there, but he’s certainly the valuable cog that keeps the machine of the offense running smoothly.