With Brandon Aiyuk expected to miss most of the first half, Jauan Jennings will be forced to step up. Is there enough depth at the position behind him?
For most of the Kyle Shanahan era, wide receiver has been the position least to worry about. Since acquiring Emmanuel Sanders at the trade deadline in 2019, the position has remained one of the deepest on the roster, evolving into a solid three-punch of Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Jauan Jennings.
Well, after an abysmal 2024, Samuel is in Washington, Aiyuk’s timeline remains unclear following a brutal knee injury, and Jennings finds himself the presumed No. 1 receiver entering 2025.
There are plenty of questions to answer for the 49ers’ wide receiver corps in 2025. Let’s try to narrow them down to just three:
Is the position deep enough?
With Aiyuk likely to miss time to start 2025, the top of the 49ers depth chart lists Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, and Demarcus Robinson (suspension pending). That’s a steep decline from years past.
The 49ers currently have eleven wide receivers listed on their roster. Here’s that list, sorted by 2024 receptions (excluding Aiyuk):
- Jennings (77)
- Pearsall (31)
- Robinson (31)
- Jacob Cowing (4)
- Isaiah Hodgins (2)
- Russell Gage (0)
- Malik Knowles (0)
- Terique Owens (0)
- Isaiah Nayor (rookie)
- Jordan Watkins (rookie)
That’s a combined 145 receptions between eight players with games played last season. Without Samuel or Aiyuk, somebody will need to step up and fill that production gap in 2024, with Samuel’s poor form and Aiyuk’s untimely injury.
Jennings is the likeliest option, as he stepped in as the lead receiver after Week 7 with some ups and some downs (more on him in a minute). Pearsall could also be a solid candidate after a solid close to last season, bringing in 14 passes for 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns to close out his rookie campaign.
In one season, the receiver position went from the deepest on the roster to the thinnest. George Kittle helps shoulder the load, but the core leaves a bit to the imagination, at least until Aiyuk returns.
What can we expect from Aiyuk?
That’s assuming Aiyuk returns to full strength after his ACL and MCL tear last season.
It seems likely at this point that Aiyuk will start the season on the PUP list, meaning he’s going to miss at least the first six games. That puts it in the realm of possibility that the 49ers will be without their best receiver for half of the season.
Mike Clay of ESPN has Aiyuk projected to start nine games in his yearly projections, with his season debut set for Week 9 against the New York Giants. Clay doesn’t project much of an impact from Aiyuk in his limited games, forecasting the receiver for 28 receptions, 435 yards, and a pair of touchdowns.
It’s a reasonable prediction for Aiyuk coming off of such a devastating injury, but that averages out to 3.1 catches per game and 48.3 yards per game. Both would be career lows for the sixth-year wideout.
It’s unfair to expect that Aiyuk will return to his 2023 form in such a short window in 2025. But with the 49ers’ depth at the position, San Francisco might need more than Clay’s projection from Aiyuk.
Can Jennings take the next step?
While Aiyuk is recovering, Jennings and Pearsall will likely fight for that No. 1 spot, but Jennings should have the edge because of his tenure with the team.
Jennings’ role was ever-changing throughout the season with Aiyuk’s injury and the decline in Samuel’s play. Still, Jennings put together the best season of his career with 77 receptions, 975 yards, and six touchdowns, all career-highs.
Week 3 was Jennings’ standout performance of 2024, hauling in 11 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to the Rams. After that big game, however, Jennings struggled to find consistency. The Week 3 game was his last 100-yard game of the season, with only four more games with at least 80 receiving yards, and three more with 90. After his trio of scores against the Rams, Jennings had only three more touchdowns in the final 12 games of his season.
Jennings has shown flashes, but he needs to be more consistent as he climbs to the top of the 49ers depth chart, at least temporarily. If Jennings can find that consistency, it would be a massive boost for an offense that will need to find another downfield weapon next to Kittle.