Why time is right for 49ers to give rookie WR Cowing a shot originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The 49ers might need to consider a change at the wide receiver position after their devastating 27-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
With Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle all out due to injuries, coach Kyle Shanahan was in need of players to step up and take advantage of the opportunities in the passing game. Jauan Jennings did just that, catching 11 of his 12 targets for 175 yards and three touchdowns.
But who is next in line?
Outside of Brandon Aiyuk, who caught five of his 10 targets for 48 yards, Ronnie Bell was the only other wide receiver targeted by Brock Purdy. The Michigan product caught one of his three targets, dropping a critical pass late in the fourth quarter that furthered the 49ers’ collapse in Southern California.
Shanahan explained after the loss that the blame does not fall only on Bell’s shoulders.
“There are other catches in the game that we want people to make, but you hope that it doesn’t have to come down to that,” Shanahan said. “But you know, Ronnie would say the same thing. He needs to make that catch but if he doesn’t, then he’d like to be able to overcome it. I know he can overcome it in other ways but we didn’t.”
Jacob Cowing, who already claimed the 49ers’ punt return job over Bell, is healthy and might already be a more reliable target than Bell. The rookie has yet to be on the field for an offensive play but already has been active on game days as part of the special teams unit, thus San Francisco would not need to create an extra spot on the 48-player game day roster.
The rookie receiver told NBC Sports Bay Area that he has been soaking in everything he can from the veterans in the room.
“Definitely,” Cowing said. “[Jennings has] been helping me since Day 1. I’ve been watching everything he does, listening to everything he says. All of them — Deebo, Brandon — all of them….
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-time-49ers-rookie-wr-181959505.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-09-23 18:19:59
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