Wide receiver Jacob Cowing is one of the few remaining San Francisco 49ers players without a guaranteed roster spot. With the news that the organization was looking to involve Deebo Samuel in the return game, his chances of making the squad have never looked slimmer.
The speedster certainly helped his case, though, in Thursday's blowout win against the Los Angeles Chargers, when he took a punt return 83 yards to the house. His touchdown in special teams virtually negated his nonexistence in the passing game. The latter, however, will mean nothing if the 49ers are smart.
Cowing has proved he is worth a roster spot with his special-teams prowess alone. Though technically a wide receiver, he doesn't need to provide value in the passing attack to be irreplaceable. San Francisco sacrificed a roster spot for a return specialist last season, and it worked out pretty well for them.
49ers must use Jacob Cowing over Deebo Samuel in return game
In August of last year, the 49ers traded for wideout Skyy Moore, and it ended up being one of the best moves they made all season. While Moore did absolutely nothing to help quarterback Brock Purdy (five catches for 87 yards in 17 games), he became their full-time punt returner and helped the red and gold finish 10th in yards per punt return.
The 49ers coaching staff has already shown they are willing to save a roster spot for a return specialist. If Cowing continues to prove his worth in that role, keeping him around would be a no-brainer.
Deebo Samuel, on the other hand, has never returned a punt in his NFL career. While GM John Lynch was probably alluding to him contributing more on kick returns, Samuel would serve as an older, less explosive option if he was indeed expected to return punts.
Jacob Cowing represents everything the 49ers lack
Cowing's home run ability is something the 49ers desperately need. Most of their offense consists of older, plodding players who lost their peak athleticism years ago. Even if the 25-year-old is relegated to special teams, he’ll still be able to make his mark, just as he did on Thursday.
The Arizona product's 4.38 40 time at the 2024 combine is up there with the likes of De'Zhaun Stribling. The two represent the answer to the 49ers' 2025 struggles, when they could only score on slow, methodical drives down the field. Both young wideouts have the ability to stretch the field and burn oposing defenders.
Assuming Kyle Shanahan and company retain both players, the 49ers will enter 2026 looking more electric than they have in years. Hopefully, Jacob Cowing will get the opportunity to demonstrate just how lethal a punt returner he can be.
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