Why the 49ers Need to Add a Wide Receiver this Offseason

The 49ers need to sign or draft a wide receiver this offseason, someone who can contribute right away if necessary.

The 49ers have poured tons of resources into the wide receiver position the past few years and they still have major question marks.

Brandon Aiyuk is a question mark. He tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus last season a couple months after signing a four-year, $120 million contract extension. He almost certainly will miss the entire offseason training program and potentially the first few games as well. Then when he returns, it’s unclear what condition he’ll be in after having zero training camp for the second year in a row. It’s also unclear how explosive he’ll be after his massive knee injury.

Deebo Samuel is a question mark. He might not even be on the team next season. I’m guessing the 49ers would trade him if there’s a team that wants him. And that team might not exist, considering Samuel is aging, expensive and simply not explosive anymore.

Ricky Pearsall is a question mark. He finished the season strong in two games that didn’t matter. Otherwise, he didn’t do much. Counting on him to be a consistent contributor next season seems risky.

Jauan Jennings is a question mark in the sense that he has outperformed his contract and might hold out if the 49ers don’t give him another extension.

And then there’s Jacob Cowing, another question mark. The 49ers didn’t seem to trust him to play anything but special teams this season.

Which means the 49ers need to sign or draft a wide receiver this offseason, someone who can contribute right away if necessary.