Wide receiver Dante Pettis' redemption tour with the San Francisco 49ers didn't last long.
One practice, to be precise.
After inking a deal to rejoin the Niners practice squad after his premature dismissal from the squad back in 2020, it took only one practice for the 2018 Round 2 draft pick out of Washington to suffer a calf injury that effectively denies him a shot to make any sort of comeback this season.
San Francisco placed Pettis on injured reserve, opening up a spot to sign fellow wide receiver Xavier Smith to the practice squad.
While both Pettis and head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted there was no animosity between the two parties in the wake of the 2020 falling out, it's certainly disappointing to see Pettis' second go-around with San Francisco end in such a fashion.
Perhaps the 49ers at least entertain having the receiver around the facility, albeit in a mere support kind of role for the younger pass catchers actively on the roster.
Dante Pettis' 2nd stint with 49ers ends before it had chance to begin
The soon-to-be 31-year-old Pettis' rookie season ended positively enough—27 receptions for 465 yards and five touchdowns. Ultimately, though, his role within Shanahan's offense diminished heavily the following season, and he was waived in 2020, subsequently bouncing around the league before returning to the Bay Area ahead of Week 4 last September.
Under normal circumstances, Pettis might've had a chance to return to the Niners' active roster once healed from his injury.
But San Francisco hasn't had normal circumstances with regard to injuries, and it already filled up its IR list with several players who have return designations. It's a key reason why the 49ers opted not to place defensive end Nick Bosa (calf) on IR since said designations were already earmarked for other players poised to return.
Oof.
Perhaps the Niners' reunion with Pettis ends up having longer-reaching implications, though, and it wouldn't be out of the question for him to return in 2027 in some capacity—a training camp body, etc.
For now, though, it's hard to do anything but shake one's head while wishing Pettis' return ended up faring much better than what unfortunatley happened.
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