The San Francisco 49ers have been dealing with injuries at the wide receiver position, and it's hard to know who will be available when Week 1 comes around. One receiver in question is Jauan Jennings, who has been out for some time because of a calf injury. Luckily, it sounds like he'll be ready when the season starts, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
“Shanahan said he expects Jauan Jennings back for the opener,” The Athletic's Vic Tafur wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Jennings was key for the 49ers last season, as they were also dealing with injuries at the position at that time. This offseason, he let the team know that he wanted an extension, but they didn't come to an agreement, and it hasn't been brought up for some time.
From the looks of it, Jennings could possibly be the WR1 when the season starts, and he'll have Ricky Pearsall helping him as well. The hope is that they can get some reinforcements back sooner rather than later, but Brock Purdy should have enough to work with, especially since he has George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey.
49ers dealing with injuries at wide receiver
Jacob Cowing re-injured his hamstring, and Shanahan noted how long the receiver could be out.
“A while,” Shanahan said. “Yeah, he pulled it fully. It was the same one, so I think they told me like six weeks to start.”
Outside of Cowing, Brandon Aiyuk is still recovering from his ACL injury from last season, and the team is still waiting for him to be cleared to return. Jordan Watkins, whom the team drafted in the fourth round, is dealing with a high ankle sprain. Demarcus Robinson will be serving a three-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
With all those injuries and a suspension, the 49ers will need more people than ever to step up.
The 49ers made sure to get some help during these tough times at the position, and they traded for Skyy Moore, a wide receiver with Super Bowl experience playing with the Kansas City Chiefs. Shanahan has already been impressed with what he's seen some more, according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows.
“Shanahan said he was impressed with how much Skyy Moore was able to pick up after arriving in Santa Clara Thursday and getting in half a practice. Moore admitted he was lost at times, but it was still a promising start for the new guy,” Barrows wrote.
