It’s no secret the San Francisco 49ers are one Deebo Samuel injury away from having the worst wide receiver room in the NFL.
San Francisco had a promising WR group at the start of training camp after signing six-time Pro Bowler Mike Evans and former 1,000-yard receiver Christian Kirk to pair with former first-rounder Ricky Pearsall and promising rookie De’Zhaun Stribling.
However, Pearsall is out for the year after having PCL surgery, Kirk and Stribling are both on injured reserve, and Evans has left each of the team’s last two games early due to injury.
The 49ers have added Brandin Cooks and Dante Pettis over the last week, but neither are real needle-movers in terms of making an impact. If San Francisco decides an upgrade is needed at WR, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently suggested a trade that could be worthwhile for San Francisco.
49ers Could Trade for 1,000-Yard Pro Bowler
If Evans misses any time, Samuel and Jordan Watkins are the top WR options at San Francisco’s disposal.
However, Knox believes there’s a pass-catcher out there who may not be happy with his current situation and could be a massive addition for the 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy.
“(Deshaun) Watson hasn’t been great, to be fair, but he has a 104.1 passer rating and is starting to find a rhythm in Todd Monken’s offense. However, he has yet to develop any real chemistry with wide receiver Jerry Jeudy,” Knox wrote.
“Instead, Watson has leaned on rookie wideouts K.C. Concepcion and Denzel Boston, along with tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Jeudy, meanwhile, had two catches in the season opener and has logged just one target and no receptions since.
“The Browns should view Jeudy as expendable, and he should retain value for receiver-needy teams. While he has largely disappointed since the start of last season, the 27-year-old was a 1,200-yard Pro Bowl receiver in 2024. With a 2026 base salary of $1.5 million, Jeudy should fit even the tightest cap budgets.”
Is Jerry Jeudy a Fit for the 49ers’ Offense?
The 27-year-old Jeudy has had an up-and-down NFL career.
He flirted with 1,000 yards twice during his first four years with the Denver Broncos, and he finally reached that milestone in his first year with the Browns when he totaled 90 receptions, 1,229 yards — both career highs — plus four touchdowns.
Jeudy has just two catches for 26 yards through the first three games (he didn’t record a catch in Weeks 2 or 3 and was targeted just once during that span), and a change-of-scenery trade could do him a world of good with Cleveland going all-in on its young WR core with Concepcion and Boston.
The strength of Jeudy’s game is his route running and ability to create separation, which San Francisco needs more of. Given head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive creativity, Jeudy is the perfect player for the 49ers to deploy on intermediate slant or crossing routes, on screen plays to maximize his catch-and-run ability, and pre-snap motion to force opposing defenses to either reveal or switch up their coverage.
49ers Trade Pitch Gives Brock Purdy Explosive Pro Bowl WR Weapon