The San Francisco 49ers just can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to keeping their wide receivers healthy.
Free-agent signing Christian Kirk has been on injured reserve since the preseason. Former first-round pick Ricky Pearsall is out for the season after having surgery to repair his PCL. Rookie De’Zhaun Stribling will miss 10-12 weeks with a torn deltoid, and Demarcus Robinson is out long-term with a high-ankle sprain.
And things got a little more dire on Wednesday with another wideout going down with a significant injury.
49ers Lose Another WR to Injury, Add Former Rams Pass-Catcher
San Francisco is dealing with its fair share of injuries this year — there’s 16 players on the reserve/injured list and two more on the PUP list — and the wide receiver corps has been hit particularly hard.
With the revolving door of WRs coming through the Bay Area, the 49ers reunited with former second-round pick Dante Pettis over a week ago.
However, Pettis hasn’t even stepped foot on the field for San Francisco and won’t for a while after the team placed him on injured reserve and signed ex-Rams receiver Xavier Smith, who was recently released.
“The 49ers placed veteran WR Dante Pettis (calf) on practice squad injured reserve, and signed WR Xavier Smith to the practice squad,” NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco posted on X.
“Xavier Smith comes to the 49ers’ practice squad with 50 career punt returns in three NFL seasons under his belt,” Maiocco added in a follow-up tweet. “He has a more-than-respectable career average of 9.4 yards. Jacob Cowing has just five returns (three fair catches) this season for a 5.0 average.”
Pettis has bounced around the NFL. He’s had stints with the 49ers, New York Giants, Chicago Bears, and New Orleans Saints. He’s totaled 92 catches, 1,231 yards, and 13 touchdowns across 66 games.
What Xavier Smith Brings to 49ers
The 29-year-old Smith didn’t see the field a lot during his time in LA, but he was a meaningful contributor on special teams. He likely will fill a similar role with the 49ers.
In three seasons with the Rams, Smith logged 20 catches for 309 yards. He also returned 50 kickoffs for 469 yards, and 26 punts for 600 yards.
But where Smith will presumably make the most impact is his ability to stretch the field. Smith has speed to burn — he ran a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash — and he can help fill the role of outside burner opposite Deebo Samuel, freeing up Mike Evans to play the possession receiver role he thrives in.
49ers Make Concerning Roster Move After Adding Former Rams WR