The San Francisco 49ers have had some of the worst luck in the NFL at wide receiver. Jauan Jennings, last year's leading receiver aside from Christian McCaffrey, left in free agency for Minnesota, and Brandon Aiyuk, the player who was supposed to be the team's WR1, has likely already played his last snap as a 49er. The team did bring in future Hall of Famer Mike Evans this offseason, but he's missed multiple practices due to injury.
Ricky Pearsall, meanwhile, the 49ers' first-round pick in 2024, will miss the entire season after undergoing surgery to repair the PCL in his right knee. As if that wasn't bad enough, Christian Kirk, another one of San Francisco's top offseason acquisitions at wide receiver, has missed essentially all of training camp with a calf strain. And now, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, that absence may end up costing him a roster spot when the cutdown deadline arrives on Aug. 30.
"A Week 1 roster spot seems to be slipping away from free-agent acquisition Christian Kirk, who was sidelined by a calf injury in the spring and who reinjured it in the first practice of training camp," Barrows wrote. More news: Bears Insider Raises Concern Over Star CB’s Status Ahead of 2026 Season More news: Diego Pavia Has a Real Shot at Returning to College Football — Here’s How Kirk, a former second-round pick in 2018, signed a one-year deal with the 49ers in March and was expected to line up as the team's go-to slot receiver. He may not be the elite vertical threat he once was, but he remains a reliable option underneath, hauling in 28 catches for 239 yards and a touchdown across 13 games last season with the Houston Texans.
Still, given that he hasn't practiced with the team in weeks, and with Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff needing to trim the roster to 53 players in just over a week, it's easy to see a scenario where Kirk becomes a cut candidate in San Francisco. If that ends up being the case, it would open up more opportunities for Deebo Samuel and rookie second-rounder De'Zhaun Stribling, who's increasingly looking like a potential breakout candidate. More news: Malik Willis Praises Competitive Fire in Dolphins’ Unproven WR Room
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