It’s not surprising in the wake of Brandon Aiyuk’s season-ending injury that there has been plenty of talk about how they could potentially replace him via the trade market.
Between Amari Cooper, Davante Adams and, on Wednesday, DeAndre Hopkins, there have already been a string of trades involving big-name wide receivers this season.
More could follow, with Cooper Kupp a name around which there is speculation. The 49ers are unlikely to be able to do a deal with their division rivals the Los Angeles Rams for the former Offensive Player of the Year, and the likes of Diontae Johnson, Kendrick Bourne and Darius Slayton have also been mentioned as possible targets.
Johnson is the closest thing the 49ers could get to Aiyuk in terms of acquiring a player with his kind of separation ability, but it’s difficult to see any reason why they would be interested in parting with draft capital, which will be needed to continue to refresh an ageing roster, to acquire either of Bourne or Slayton.
The realistic and compelling options are not plentiful, and it should be remembered that the 49ers still have a host of playmakers who can help move their offense move the ball efficiently.
As for the question of filling the void left by Aiyuk, the reality is that, to borrow a line from Moneyball, the 49ers cannot replace him, but they can recreate him in the aggregate.
Doing so involves putting faith in the pair of receivers they drafted this year.
Time to rely on rookies
For very different reasons, first-round pick Ricky Pearsall and fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing have played very limited snaps this season.
Pearsall only made his debut for the Niners in last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, 50 days on from being shot through the chest in an attempted armed robbery. The reasons for Cowing’s lack of playing time are more difficult to explain, the speedster bizarrely consistently behind both Chris Conley and Ronnie Bell in the pecking order despite flashing considerably more upside than either of that duo in preseason.
But, after needing just two plays to show why he deserves to be on the field more often, Cowing could play a key role in the 49ers’ efforts to replace Aiyuk’s production.
Understandably, Pearsall appeared rusty in his first game in the pros, but he still flashed some of the route-running ability that has seen him draw comparisons to Aiyuk. He struggled to fight off the Chiefs’ physical press coverage, but his detailed and varied approach to route-running should help Pearsall find success at the highest level as a receiver who has previously shown a proficiency for regularly beating both zone and man coverage in college.
Asked specifically about Pearsall on Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said: “I think he’s wired to run every route as a receiver, like most. I think Deebo is the one who is more unique, just in terms of using him as a running back and things like that. But Ricky is a plug-and-play with all routes. It’s not like he has a small route tree and only can do certain things, so he can run the whole tree.”
Pearsall has the potential to step in and blossom into a separator as Aiyuk has done in his career, and the 49ers also have the receiving options who can help minimize the impact of the loss of Aiyuk as a downfield playmaker.
Last season, Aiyuk had the highest passer rating when targeted (149.3) of all receivers with at least 20 targets of 20 yards or more in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. Cowing demonstrated his potential value as a deep threat with a 41-yard reception against the Chiefs on a double move on which his speed and route-running prowess came to the fore, enabling him to create huge separation on a play that would have resulted in a touchdown with a better ball from quarterback Brock Purdy.
Cowing does not have the benefit of the rapport Aiyuk shared with Purdy, but one wideout who certainly does is Jauan Jennings.
Jennings’ extended chance to shine
Despite missing last week’s game with a hip injury, Jennings has the third-highest Pro Football Focus grade for wide receivers on deep targets, having emerged as a surprisingly dynamic downfield weapon in the opening weeks of the season.
Jennings has averaged 33 yards per reception on his targets of 20 yards or more this season, with his passer rating than targeted of 153.3 superior to that of Aiyuk on such plays in 2023.
With his size and underrated skills as a route-runner, Jennings has developed into a hugely dependable target. Like Aiyuk, Jennings does an excellent job at the top of the route, albeit with his success in that area primarily a product of his frame.
Assuming he can eventually shake off his hip concern, Jennings will essentially become a starter and have significantly more opportunities to prove himself to be much more than a dependable third receiver with a tendency to come up huge in the clutch.
There’s little chance of Jennings becoming what Aiyuk has grown into, but he can be a high-end second receiver who can do substantial damage going deep while also excelling on the intermediate routes over the middle that are a more conventional part of the 49er offense.
Replacing Aiyuk with an outside acquisition looks to be a pipe dream but, through Jennings’ range of abilities, a Pearsall skill set that is markedly similar to that of Aiyuk and Cowing’s talents as a separator and a dangerous downfield target who can test defenses vertically, they have the resources to recreate him through intelligent use of three receivers who figure to be a huge part of the 49ers’ future. To thrive in spite of Aiyuk’s absence without giving up draft capital, this trio needs to be a key part of the present for San Francisco’s offense.