The 49ers’ receiving corps will look a little different next season if for no other reason than third-year wide receiver Trent Taylor will have a new number. Taylor tweeted that he’ll be wearing No. 15 for the 2019 season:
Taylor wore No. 81 for his first two years in red and gold. Changing to 15 puts Taylor closer to the No. 5 he wore through most of college. NFL rules kept him from obtaining that number in the pros. Pierre Garçon snatched 15 when he signed with San Francisco in 2017 – the same year Taylor was drafted. Now that Garçon and the 49ers have parted ways, 15 became available for the first time since Taylor arrived in San Francisco.
He may have also relinquished No. 81 for new receiver Jordan Matthews who wore No. 81 for his first three pro seasons in Philadelphia. Matthews, along with the rest of San Francisco’s new signees, has not been issued a number on the team’s online roster.
Taylor struggled last season coming off of back surgery with just 26 catches for 215 yards and a touchdown. He had 43 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.
Perhaps the number changed combined with a healthy offseason means a bounce-back year is in store for the receiver. The 49ers would certainly take it with a desperate need for production from their wideouts.
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