The San Francisco 49ers dodged a major bullet as Mike Evans continues to battle Achilles soreness that caused him to leave the Week 6 win over the Washington Commanders on Oct. 19.
Nonetheless, this injury scare is leading to trade speculation about whether the Niners should look to add a receiver ahead of the deadline on Nov. 10. The 49ers have dealt with injuries to their wideouts, including Demarcus Robinson, De’Zhaun Stribling, and Deebo Samuel Sr., in recent weeks.
Despite needing to bolster the group, 49ers reporter Grant Cohn doesn’t see the team making a move for a wide receiver in the coming days.
“What concerns me is I don’t think they’re going to trade for a wide receiver,” Cohn said on the Oct. 20 edition of “49ers Collective.”
“I don’t think they will. I think they’re telling themselves, ‘All right, we’re 6-0. If we lose to the Falcons, so be it. Stribling’s coming back, Deebo’s coming back, Evans will be okay.’ I think they’re going to talk themselves into reinforcements coming back, and that really concerns me.”
Alex Boone Believes 49ers Will Make a Trade for Wideout
Meanwhile, former 49ers offensive lineman Alex Boone believes that San Francisco will make a move for a wideout at the deadline as the team needs to ensure that Brock Purdy has receivers he can trust late in the season.
“I think we’re too early in the year, and Mike’s already getting hurt a little bit,” Boone said in the same episode. “Deebo’s kind of gotten hurt. You have this injury bug going on where I think they’re in their own minds like, ‘Yeah, this is becoming a problem now.’
“Congrats to Brock Purdy for the record [of] being the most efficient quarterback. That’s great, and efficiency is great. But at times, the people you’re throwing to have to be dudes [and] there are those contested catches. There are times when you’re like, ‘Hey, man, I’m going to have to trust that you’re going to do what’s in the best interest of this team.’ There aren’t a lot of guys like that available on the streets.”
What Wideout Could the Niners Trade for?
So, what wideout could the 49ers pursue in the trade market? In an Oct. 18 article, Zachary Rotman of FanSided listed the 49ers as a realistic landing spot for Jacksonville Jaguars‘ Brian Thomas Jr.
As part of his trade idea, Rotman has the 49ers giving a 2027 second-round pick for the former first-round pick, who is still on his rookie contract worth $14.6 million.
“No team needs Thomas more than the San Francisco 49ers, who are without Ricky Pearsall for the year, De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson for a while, and Brandon Aiyuk for who knows how long?” Rotman wrote in his article.
“Not to mention Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel have been banged up and are on the wrong side of 30. They need a receiver in the worst way.”
Thomas has played 116 pass snaps for the Jaguars this season, leading to a 57.4 overall PFF grade. Moreover, he has hauled in nine receptions on 18 targets for 105 receiving yards and one touchdown.
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