The San Francisco 49ers don't appear to be in a rush to get veteran receiver Brandin Cooks on the field, even with their receiver room banged up.
San Francisco officially signed Cooks to the practice squad on Wednesday, adding the 32-year-old veteran in the wake of injuries to De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson. Mike Evans is also banged up.
However, general manager John Lynch made clear on KNBR that an imminent debut in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals shouldn't be expected for Cooks.
"There's always a chance for everything, but I wouldn't anticipate that," Lynch said. "Give him a little bit of time. I'm sure he could — who knows, I never say never."
Lynch's comments echoed what head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters when he was asked
for a realistic timeline on Cooks playing in a game.
"I have no idea," Shanahan said Wednesday. "It's only my first day seeing him, so I'm not sure. But we're down guys, so as soon as he's ready — we usually get five guys up for game day, so as soon as he can show he's one of those five."
Cooks brings plenty of experience to a receiver room that's been hit hard by injuries. He's caught 734 passes for 9,811 yards and 60 touchdowns across 12 NFL seasons. However, he had just 24 catches for 279 yards and no touchdowns in 2025, split between New Orleans and Buffalo.
The timing lines up with a 49ers receiver group that's thinned out fast. Ricky Pearsall is out for the season after PCL surgery, Stribling is out until late in the year with an ankle injury, Christian Kirk has dealt with a calf strain, and now Evans and Robinson are both dealing with ailments after Week 2. That leaves Deebo Samuel, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins as San Francisco's healthiest options heading into the coming weeks.
For now, Cooks will need to learn the offense and prove himself in practice before he's elevated from the practice squad for a game. Based on both Lynch and Shanahan's comments, that process appears to be measured in weeks rather than days — even with the 49ers clearly needing reinforcements at the position.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers GM John Lynch gives update on Brandin Cooks could see the field
