The 49ers have already fallen short in one attempted trade for a wide receiver this month as they deal with injuries at the position.
San Francisco was outbid by the Philadelphia Eagles in the pursuit of John Metchie III. Metchie was dealt by the Houston Texans to Philadelphia in exchange for tight end Harrison Bryant and a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft.
But with Brandon Aiyuk unlikely to be ready until Week 6 at the earliest, Jauan Jennings still dealing with a calf issue and Jordan Watkins
out with a high-ankle sprain, the 49ers are apparently still making enquiries about the availability of potential trade candidates at wide receiver.
Indeed, per Diana Russini of The Athletic, the 49ers are among the teams making calls as they try to acquire another wideout.
Their desire to do so is not a surprise. With Aiyuk and Watkins set to start the season on the shelf, Jennings’ injury lingering, and Demarcus Robinson facing a suspension, the 49ers are in a position where they could head into Week 1 with Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing as their top two receivers.
That is not necessarily such a huge issue. Pearsall has thrived in training camp and Cowing his the skill set to be a significant big-play weapon. The bigger problem concerns the other end of the depth chart, with the likes of Robbie Chosen, Terique Owens and Russell Gage — even with his impressive camp — hardly presenting inspiring alternatives.
While the 49ers can lean heavily on the likes of George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey in the passing game, the reality is they need at least one more reliable option at the receiver position ahead of the start of the regular season.
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have rarely been afraid to be aggressive in the trade market, and it looks as if a big swing is on the cards as the 49ers aim to ensure their offense is in the best spot possible for Week 1.
