The San Francisco 49ers may have finally added a wide receiver to their depleted room, but general manager John Lynch's big addition may not have satisfied everyone. The Niners brought in former Kansas City Chiefs second-round draft pick Skyy Moore in a move that saw the teams swap late-round draft picks.
The 49ers could have packaged picks for a receiver of more repute, but head coach Kyle Shanahan must see something in Moore that suggests he could help pick up the slack for an offense that is projected to miss star wideout Brandon Aiyuk for a big chunk of the 2025 season.
While the Niners have historically been pretty responsible when it comes to slowly working their rookies into the starting lineup, Shanahan and Lynch seem to be bucking that trend by going out of their way to bring in Moore.
One 49ers player may see his snaps cut down as a result of this move.
Former fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing, who has put together a few highlight-reel plays in the preseason and training camp, will be directly impacted by the Moore acquisition, and he could end up pushed into a reserve role once again if Moore finally puts it all together.
49ers' Skyy Moore trade could be bad news for Jacob Cowing
Cowing, who spent most of last year as a returner, caught just four passes for 80 yards in the 2024 season. With a hamstring injury already impacting his readiness, it stands to reason that he might lose some snaps to Moore early in the 2025 campaign.
Cowing is a smaller player than Moore, and he doesn't have Moore's ability to break tackles after the catch. Even though Moore has just 43 catches and one touchdown in three seasons with the Chiefs, there are some positive traits Shanahan could develop.
With Aiyuk on the mend, all signs point to Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, and the winner of a competition between Moore, Cowing, and Jordan Watkins as the top three receivers on the depth chart. This is a wide-open competition, but the change of scenery might be all Moore needs to turn the clock back to his Western Michigan days.
Moore has shown very little in the NFL that would convince anyone he is worthy of some extended playing time, but the 49ers wouldn't have made this move if they didn't believe their offense had the perfect combination of ingredients needed to get the most out of him.