Recently, the San Francisco 49ers, wide receiver room has been one of constant speculation and notoriety.
The 2024 season-ending injury to Brandon Aiyuk hurt the team's efforts to make the playoffs for a fourth straight year, and the ramifications spilled over into the offseason. Couple that with fellow wideout Deebo Samuel's spring trade to the Washington Commanders, and the Niners' receiver room looks wholly different to kick off 2025 than what fans were accustomed to, previously.
In the case of the Niners' 30-9 preseason Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos, it appeared that many wide receivers struggled on linking up with the three quarterbacks San Francisco used. Only the rookie, Jordan Watkins, racked up more than 40 yards down field. And even he joined the growing list of injured wide receivers who may not be available for the start of the regular season.
However, in the 22-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, one veteran receiver stood out.
This wideout's performance showed the 49ers' coaching staff they have someone who can help amid the shortages.
Which 49ers wide receiver showed he is the 'Chosen' one?
Formerly known as Robbie Anderson, veteran wide receiver Robbie Chosen was highly coveted by a future Hall of Fame head coach, Bill Belichick. While with the New England Patriots, Belichick respected the receiver's ability to get down field and move the chains on offense.
The Niners may have to choose him to be the third receiver on their depth chart and 53-man roster for Week 1 after his performance on Saturday in Vegas.
The 10-year veteran was signed by the 49ers in the first week of August when they released Marquez Callaway. Chosen has only broke 1,000 receiving yards once in his career, back in 2020 with the Carolina Panthers, but has 30 career catches for a touchdown over his nine-year career.
It only took Chosen five receptions to record 92 receiving yards against the Raiders. He was the focal point of the passing game, having been thrown to seven times. That was three more than any other target for San Francisco during the contest. Chosen just outplayed teammates that were ahead of him on the depth chart, including others like Russell Gage, Jr., Terique Owens, Junior Bergen, and Jacob Cowing.
If health/availability issues with their veteran receivers don't get resolved by Week 1, the Niners may have little other choice but to have Chosen suit up when they play their first regular-season game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 7.
And it might not be the worst thing ever, either.