49ers should elevate veteran from the practice squad to help on offense

The San Francisco 49ers were pretty solid on offense against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3. Despite this, they had six drops which is not acceptable.

The Niners should elevate veteran receiver Trent Taylor to provide more reliability.

Of all the drops, none was bigger than wide receiver Ronnie Bell's late in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Brock Purdy threw an absolute dime down the field to an open Bell, and he just straight up dropped the ball. He also dropped a pass earlier in the game.

This is not new for the second-year wideout out of Michigan. While Purdy had his back after the game, one cannot help but wonder if these mistakes will get in Bell's head and make it more difficult for him to find success going forward.

If the Niners are looking for a player to step in for Bell, they could elevate Taylor. The 30-year-old veteran out of Louisiana Tech was drafted by the 49ers back in 2017, but injuries led to his exit from San Francisco. He spent some time with the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears mainly as a punt returner before coming back to the Niners in the offseason and being placed on the practice squad prior to the regular season.

Taylor is by no means an elite receiver. He has had his own struggles with drops in the past. However, there is a case to be made that he would be an improvement over Bell. The 24-year-old Bell certainly has talent, but his confidence must be very low right now. Taylor is a veteran who is very familiar with head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. True, Taylor lacks the speed and physical attributes of Bell, but the 49ers can probably trust his hands more in key situations.

Of course, the only reason we are talking about the fourth or fifth spot on the team's wide receiver depth chart is because of the injuries the Niners have dealt with regarding their All-Pros, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle. Ideally, the Niners will get these players back soon so they do not have to rely on Bell or Taylor with the game on the line.

For now, though, San Francisco has to have a next-man-up mentality. Every game matters, and if the Niners determine they trust Taylor more than Bell, then they need to make that move.

The team needs to get back on track as soon as possible, and elevating Taylor from the practice squad could be a small but meaningful move that shores up the receiving corps in the short term.

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