The San Francisco 49ers went the veteran free agent route and signed Brandin Cooks to bolster their wideout depth. However, Cooks turns 33 on Sept. 25, and there’s a reason he was a free agent up until this point.
Moreover, the question San Francisco is probably asking itself is: How much does Cooks have left in the tank? If he can be a reliable third or fourth option, then the 49ers found a reliable depth piece at wideout.
Nonetheless, if the veteran wideout shows his age, or worse, if injuries continue to hit the wideout group, then the Niners might have to consider looking at the trade market for a more impactful player.
As for who could be available, Zachary Rotman of FanSided put together a list of 10 players who could be on the move, and the Cleveland Browns‘ Jerry Jeudy is on it.
Moreover, Rotman listed the 49ers, along with the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills, as potential trade destinations for the veteran, who has fallen behind rookies KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. Jeudy has had two catches for 26 yards in two games, per StatMuse.
“Jerry Jeudy is the most accomplished wide receiver on the Cleveland Browns, and he even had a 1,229-yard season with Cleveland in 2024,” Rotman wrote in a Sept. 23 article. “Given his success and his relative youth (he’s 27 years old), Jeudy makes sense in a vacuum as a player who can be in Cleveland for a while.
“With that being said, the Browns just drafted two receivers in the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft in KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.”
Browns Are Prioritizing Young Wideouts This Season
Furthermore, with the Browns giving priority to their young rookie wideouts, Jeudy has become a trade piece that they might consider flipping at the deadline before his value diminishes any further if he’s going to be the third wideout option on the team.
“Concepcion leads the team in receptions (10) and Boston leads the team in yards (154),” Rotman added in his article. “They’ve been the two best and most-featured wideouts on the team, while Jeudy has just two receptions for 26 yards and has played a career-low 61 percent of the team’s offensive snaps.
“It’s clear that the Browns are prioritizing their rookie receivers, so it makes a lot of sense for them to trade Jeudy for assets that can help them continue to rebuild.”
49ers Might Look to See What They Have First
While Mike Evans is dealing with a hip injury, San Francisco has Deebo Samuel, Cooks, and, at some point, Christian Kirk should return soon to make up for the injuries to Demarcus Robinson and De’Zhaun Stribling. As a result, the Niners might want to see what they have first before considering any trade.
A potential trade might come days or hours before the deadline, and the 49ers might have to be in a position in which they are again battling for the division title. After two games, it looks like they will be doing that alongside the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, just like last season.
49ers Named Potential Trade Destination for Browns Veteran