T
he San Francisco 49ers are in full offseason mode. Seeing their 2025 season come to a crashing halt at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Divisional Round playoffs, the 49ers are going back to the drawing board in trying to figure out how to build a roster capable of being a Super Bowl contender in 2026. Needing to fill several holes, the 49ers will need to win the offseason if they want any chance of success next fall.
One position that the team needs to figure out is wide receiver. Expected to part ways with Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings an impending free agent, there are a lot of questions about that position and who will emerge as the new No. 1 pass catcher in San Francisco. The 49ers will likely turn to free agency or the draft to bolster that group but there is one player already on the roster who the 49ers could give more looks to– former Ole Miss standout Jordan Watkins.
Drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 draft, Watkins came in with a lot of upside but ended the season with very limited reps, playing in only four games and making two catches all year. During the end of season press conference, head coach Kyle Shanahan offered some insight on why Watkins barely played in 2025.
Injuries Affected Watkins’ Availability
Like most of the team, Watkins dealt with injuries throughout the year that hampered his ability to make an impact. Putting together a strong preseason, many felt that Watkins would have a big role on the offense from the jump. But an ankle injury suffered in the preseason made it so that he was unavailable for week one and for the rest of the year, he was behind in terms of development.
“Jordan got hurt in his first preseason game with a high ankle sprain, and he needed, he wasn’t ready yet, like 95-percent of guys who come into training camp aren’t. And then you take them through a few preseason games, you take them through an entire training camp and they’ve got a chance to get there for Week 1,” Shanahan said.
“And then they usually realize, ‘oh, I’m not totally quite ready. This is what I’ve got to do and maybe I can get there by Week 5, Week 6.’ When you get hurt right away in training camp and you miss a whole training camp it’s a huge window for guys who aren’t quite ready yet,” Shanahan added. “That was their chance to get ready. And then when you come back, where are you when you come back? If it’s off a high ankle sprain, how’s your conditioning now? Alright, now it takes you three weeks just to get your conditioning back to where you can start to have a chance to improve.”
Shanahan then went on to say that the setbacks that Watkins kept enduring made it hard for him to get ready for any significant game action with the rest of the wide receiver group significantly ahead of him in preparedness. But, he did manage to play in week 8, 9, 10 and 16, despite limited snaps.
Watkins’ Role Next Season
The 49ers will have openings at wide receiver in 2026 and if Watkins can put together a good camp, it will be hard to keep him off the field. A speedster who runs crips routes, the 49ers will be happy if they are able to find a gem in Watkins.
Kyle Shanahan Explains Why Rookie Jordan Watkins Did Not Play in 2025