It is no secret that the San Francisco 49ers have some problems at the wide receiver position. Due to injuries, contract disputes, and potential suspensions, there are a lot of question marks surrounding the position in training camp.
Reporter Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard took to social media on the first day of training camp and illustrated how dire things are right now. Kawakami noted that things looked even more bleak due to Jacob Cowing's hamstring injury as well as the fact that Jauan Jennings, who currently wants a new contract, and Demarcus Robinson, who could be suspended by the NFL for a DUI, were clearly the best receivers on the field.
This leaves things in a precarious spot for the Niners, considering they are already dealing with injuries to both Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall, although they did get some good news on Pearsall recently.
With the injuries already piling up and depth running thin, the front office has added some wide receivers recently to pad out their ranks.
Yet, Kawakami's point about Jennings and Robinson being the best guys out on the field at wide receiver shows why the Niners could be in a very tough spot to start the season. If they cannot resolve the Jennings contract situation and he decides to not play, and if Robinson is indeed suspended, then it becomes a real question as to who quarterback Brock Purdy is going to be throwing the ball to.
Thankfully, the 49ers still have other weapons on offense like running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle. Yet, if those two are the two most potent weapons on offense, that allows opposing defenses to focus more of their attention on them, which could force the 49ers to rely on a flimsy receiving corps.
There is a lot to be concerned about, but maybe things will not be so bad. If the 49ers can figure things out with Jennings and if Pearsall ends up being ready by Week 1 then they'll have two legit receivers atop the depth chart and could very well get Aiyuk and Robinson back shortly thereafter.
The situation seems dire right now for many reasons, but maybe it will not be as bad as it seems once the season starts if the Niners get some better luck with injuries and can put together a respectable depth chart.