Getty The 49ers celebrate a Deebo Samuel touchdown on October 9, 2022.
The San Francisco 49ers surpassed 35 points for the first time since Week 1 of the 2021 season — rolling to the 37-15 romp of the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, October 9.
Yet, even in a game that saw how efficient the offense can be when it clicks in 2022, there are still analysts and fans who believe the 49ers are still limited in a key area: The passing game.
Jimmy Garoppolo may have delivered his best outing of the season with 18-of-30 passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns, plus posting a quarterback rating of 109.4. However, the longest reception in the 22-point trouncing came from running back Tevin Coleman — a 30-yarder. No 49er wide receiver, including the duo of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, caught a pass that surpassed 25 yards.
And that’s where one NFL insider on Tuesday, October 11 came in with the belief that the 49ers are a “wildcard team to watch” for one past $90 million talent and Super Bowl champ with three Pro Bowls in tow.
Why 49ers are ‘a Wildcard’
ESPN senior NFL insider Jeremy Fowler wrote down the list of best fits for Odell Beckham Jr., who will soon be cleared to play following his devastating ACL tear in Super Bowl 56 with the Los Angeles Rams.
Though the rival Rams remain in the picture to land OBJ once he’s given the green light to resume, Fowler placed the 49ers as wildcard team to watch.
Fowler reminded that the 49ers once were rumored to be in pursuit of OBJ. And, by virtue of leading edge rusher Nick Bosa, there could be room.
“Rumors persisted a few years ago about Beckham wanting to wear the gold and scarlet. And because the 49ers decided to wait to pay Nick Bosa, they should have more cash available, sitting on a reasonable $6.6 million in cap space,” Fowler wrote.
Fowler isn’t the only ESPN representative who sees the 49ers as a dark horse fit for the wideout who was once on a $90 million deal with the New York Giants, but accepted a lesser $1,250,000 deal to chase a ring with the Rams late last season.
“The 49ers are a wild card because of the limited pass-game volume and two catch-and-run players already on the roster (Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk),” said Matt Bowen, writer and film analyst for ESPN.
How OBJ Could Fit
While 49er fans have gotten accustomed to a run-first offense with misdirection plays and a short, timing aerial attack with Garoppolo at the controls, Beckham has proven to be an option to get upfield for the first down — with the NFC title game against the 49ers as proof.
Bowen believes that the possible addition of OBJ adds this needed element.
“In a heavily defined throwing offense, however, coach Kyle Shanahan could scheme Beckham on play-action targets, and OBJ’s route quickness would give quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a stellar third-down target,” Bowen writes.
But there’s more. Fowler revealed in a conversation with an NFL executive that if the 49ers somehow add Beckham, he could ascend to the No. 2 WR role.
“As one AFC scout pointed out to me, this fit depends on how the 49ers really feel about Aiyuk. Is he the explosive No. 2 receiver San Francisco needs? Or is he still an enigma?” Fowler wrote. “‘He’s a good player, but I’m not sure he’ll ever fully realize his potential,’ the scout said.”
The 49ers have this advantage over the Rams: More cap space with the Rams sitting under $5 million ($4.8 million per ESPN’s Roster Management System). However, if they were to make a beeline toward the past Pro Bowler, they’ll have to stave off aggressive pursuers in the Buffalo Bills (led by Von Miller making a push), the Kansas City Chiefs, the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys.
The Niners are also not the only wildcard team here. Fowler has the New England Patriots (who evaluated OBJ in March per Fowler) and Tennessee Titans (who have Beckham’s Ex-Rams teammate Robert Woods) as the others.