3 Potential Low-Cost Acquisitions that Can Build Depth in the 49ers’ Thinning WR Group
There’s bound to be some intriguing names on the trade block or waiver wire this Saturday when NFL teams cut their rosters from 80 to 53.
When healthy, the 49ers have Deebo Samuel, Kendrick Bourne, Brandon Aiyuk and Dante Pettis as their top-four wide receivers, with Trent Taylor in the slot.
With question marks behind them, it would be wise for the 49ers to bring in any newly available pieces for the practice squad or the back end of the roster.
Here are three roster-bubble wide receivers the 49ers should look to acquire via trade or waivers:
Robert Foster — Buffalo Bills
The Bills added impact receiver Stefon Diggs as well as two rookies in the draft, Gabriel Davis (fourth round) and Isaiah Hodgins (sixth round).
They join veterans John Brown, Cole Beasley, Duke Williams, Robert Foster and Andre Roberts.
Barring injuries or a Brown salary dump, the Bills will likely keep six wide receivers in Diggs, Brown, Beasley, Williams, Davis and Hodgins.
If the Bills push the envelope, they would likely add Roberts, an elite returner, as their seventh.
This leaves Foster, a deep-threat with a 4.41 40-yard dash time, on the outside looking in.
At 6’2, 194 pounds, Foster has great speed and it shows with his deep-ball success.
In 2018, Foster’s first NFL season, he caught 27 of 44 passes for 541 yards and three touchdowns. Although that’s not the best catch-rate, it’s still 20 yards per reception.
Williams’ emergence last season took away a lot of Foster’s snaps, leading to just 64 yards on three catches (18 targets) in 2019.
He’s no Josh Gordon but, if released, he would be an inexpensive deep-threat that can stretch the field in limited snaps.
DaeSean Hamilton — Denver Broncos
Similar to Foster, Denver’s DaeSean Hamilton might be a roster casualty due to his team’s draft.
The Broncos improved their wide receiver room by drafting Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler.
San Francisco fans should be familiar with Jeudy, but Hamler is likely more of a mystery. Hamler was Denver’s second-round pick after being a versatile weapon, specifically in the slot, at Penn State.
This makes Hamilton, Denver’s other slot receiver out of Penn State, expendable. Hamilton spent 63.4% of snaps in the slot according to PlayerProfiler.com.
Over his first two seasons, he has a 59.8% catch-rate. But in 30 career games with a revolving door at quarterback, Hamilton has 58 catches and 35 of those went for a first down. He also has three career touchdowns.
Hamilton ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, which is faster than both top 49ers slot weapons, Taylor (4.63) and Bourne (4.68).
He’s not better than Taylor or Bourne, but he can likely be had for cheap and it wouldn’t hurt to bring in quality depth.
Keelan Cole — Jacksonville Jaguars
After trading Yannick Ngakoue and releasing Leonard Fournette, it appears the Jaguars are open for business.
But unless they’re outright tanking, star receiver D.J. Chark is likely off-limits. That doesn't mean other veteran receivers aren’t available.
The Jaguars took both Laviska Shenault and Collin Johnson in the draft to join Chark, Chris Conley, Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole and Terry Godwin.
Conley, Westbrook and Cole are unrestricted free agents in 2021. So the Jaguars would be wise to swap at least one for an extra draft pick to use toward their rebuild.
Cole would seemingly make the most sense. His $3.26 million cap hit is second highest on the team at the position. That’s a lot of money directed toward a second slot receiver (Westbrook being the other), especially for a rebuilding team.
Due to his non-guaranteed deal, the Jaguars can easily get out of his contract with a release or trade.
In three seasons, Cole has 1,600 yards and seven touchdowns on 104 catches. In 2019, he still managed 15 yards a catch and 10.3 yards a target.
Cole would make a great complement to Bourne. He would add a big-play element to the offense and be a second redzone weapon.
Other Potential Options:
Keke Coutee (Houston Texans), Bennie Fowler (New Orleans Saints), Lil’Jordan Humphrey (New Orleans Saints), Ricardo Louis (Miami Dolphins), Victor Bolden Jr. (Detroit Lions), Taywan Taylor (Cleveland Browns), Damion Ratley (Cleveland Browns), and Binjimen Victor (New York Giants).
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