The San Francisco 49ers made some nice offseason additions, but they also lost some key players as well.
While the departures of these three players may not seem like a huge deal, they will be felt during the season more than the Niners realize.
Skyy Moore
Most 49ers fans rolled their eyes when San Francisco acquired wide receiver Skyy Moore from the Kansas City Chiefs prior to last season. His struggles as a returner were well documented, and it just seemed like a desperate attempt to add depth for a 49ers team that was quickly running out of receivers before the season even began.
It turned out to be a great move.
Moore was the 49ers' best returner, probably since Ted Ginn Jr., which was part of the their impressive turnaround on special teams. Moore never got all that involved in the passing game despite his speed, but he could’ve potentially been a nice weapon on that front as well.
Now it seems like the Niners are going to have a pretty open competition for the returner role. Jacob Cowing figures to be an early favorite, but with his injury woes, it wouldn’t be a shock if they have to turn someone else. Maybe whoever they settle on will be just as good as Moore as a kick and punt returner, but it seems fairly inevitable there will be a drop in production.
Brian Robinson Jr.
Similar to the Moore trade, the 49ers traded for Brian Robinson Jr. when it became clear they were running dangerously low on healthy running backs before the 2025 season. Robinson wasn’t incredible by any stretch, but he was at least a reliable running back behind Christian McCaffrey on the depth chart.
As of right now, it looks like San Francisco is going to go with one of its younger backs like Jordan James or rookie Kaelon Black to back up McCaffrey. It’s always a risk to go with a young player in such a key role, especially with McCaffrey’s injury history, so if they end up not being quite ready for the job, then the Niners may regret letting Robinson get away.
Jordan Elliott
Not too many tears were shed among 49ers fans when Robert Saleh poached defensive lineman Jordan Elliott. Not necessarily because he was terrible in his two seasons with San Francisco but more because he didn’t necessarily make a huge impact.
But he was a solid, reliable depth piece on the defensive line. The Niners may be fine there with Osa Odighizuwa, Alfred Collins, CJ West, and Gracen Halton there, but three of those guys are young and unproven, so they may end up missing Elliott’s steady veteran presence up front.
These departures probably won’t make or break San Francisco’s season, but if the team struggles on special teams or McCaffrey goes down and his replacements aren’t cutting it, then these offseason departures will look much different.
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