Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, and Jordan Watkins. That’s not a bad group of pass catchers for the San Francisco 49ers. Add tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey to that mix.
That’s the picture on paper. In reality? Aiyuk is in contract limbo, Jennings and Watkins are hurt, and suddenly, Pearsall is carrying a lot more weight than anyone expected in training camp.
The 49ers’ wide receiver room hasn’t been considered a strength of the team with all those moving parts. Yet, if you watched the 49ers’ 22-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, it might not be as bad as initially argued.
49ers fans know what a bad wide receiver room is. It’s one where Jeremy Kerley is your only reliable option. Having just Pearsall, Kittle, and McCaffrey isn’t an awful situation. Pearsall is the only unknown simply because he had a shorter rookie season, but that might not be the case anymore:
In fact, if you watched that first series, it was basically the Brock Purdy show starring Ricky Pearsall:
In other words, Pearsall has the traits to be the next (and only) reason Brock Purdy ever looks good.
But Pearsall wasn’t the only bright spot. Behind him, Demarcus Robinson had three catches for 44 yards, and one of Russell Gage’s three catches was this sweet dive. So, some useful pieces and decent placeholders until the group can get fully healthy.
In other words, is this as bad as some have made it out to be? Based on what we saw Saturday, I think the 49ers will be ok. Let’s be fair, this situation is not ideal in the slightest, and it could come with consequences. But when you look at what the 49ers had in a wide receiver room years ago and compare it to the patchwork they may have to do to start the year, is this really that much of an issue?
The offensive line has suffered another injury with Dominick Puni. He’ll only be out for a few weeks, but if things go south, that could be a larger issue than what the 49ers have to catch the ball at the moment.
Of course, it’s all about the weapons. That’s the only way Brock Purdy can be efficient. We learned that with Aiyuk, and now with Pearsall — rinse, repeat (yes, sarcasm).
Do you think the 49ers have an issue with their pass catchers? Or was that concern this offseason overexaggerated?
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