49ers Free Agency: Three Cost Effective Options at Wide Receiver

The wide receiver position was the most lacking position for the San Francisco 49ers last season. That was until they acquired Emmanuel Sanders in a trade from the Denver Broncos. Once that happened, the passing game opened up immensely.

Deebo Samuel was able to emerge and establish himself in the offense along with Kendrick Bourne. That gave the 49ers a core of four receivers to go to in the offense and made them an unstoppable force. However, as we draw closer and closer to free agency the 49ers may have to consider going after another receiver.

That is because of the players that they will likely be losing. Sanders is set to become an unrestricted free agent and it isn't likely he re-signs with the 49ers. Bourne is also a restricted free agent, but his odds of staying with the team are pretty good.

Still, the 49ers will need to explore veteran options in the market. With a limited salary-cap space, they will need to poach the middle and bottom of the barrel type of players.

Here are three cost effective options at wide receiver for the 49ers in free agency.

Jordan Matthews

Familiarity may give Jordan Matthews an advantage of being brought back to the 49ers. The constant on again, off again with the team was a common theme in 2019. However, with the position lacking in numbers again Matthews could be in line for one final "on again" with the team.

Now Matthews isn't going to take this offense over the top by any means. And I know he isn't the most valued receiver. But if there is one thing to learn about this coaching staff is that they love to bring in players who are familiar with their system. Matthews would be an obvious choice to sign back and see if he can actually make use of his opportunity.

There also shouldn't be any competition for Matthews, so the contract they can offer him should be very team-friendly. I'd say there is a really good chance he is brought back in 2020 since his roster spot last season came down to the wire at the conclusion of the preseason.

Travis Benjamin

When the 49ers acquire Emmanuel Sanders mid-season, the receiver position took flight. However, there was still one aspect in the group that was missing and that was a vertical threat. Travis Benjamin is one player who can definitely address that need.

The 49ers can send him out on a go-route and potentially force the safety to swing coverage. He easily would be an upgrade over Marquise Goodwin who doesn't have clean route-running. Benjamin would be a solid fit for this offense and a fit for what the 49ers want to offer.

At 30-years old and coming off of a quad injury, he would have to take on a "prove it" deal. Low-risk, high-reward scenarios is what the 49ers need to constantly tap in for free agency. 2017 was the last considerable season he had, but this is where the 49ers are at with their salary-cap.

Breshad Perriman

A semi-journeyman in his short NFL career, Breshad Perriman showcased his best season in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jameis Winston had a passer rating of 94.7 when throwing his way per Pro Football Focus. What made Perriman such a journeyman was his hands. He just could not catch the ball to save his life.

Last season, he demonstrated that he has come a long way as he only dropped one pass on 65 targets per PFF. Perriman will assuredly be the most expensive of these three wide receiver options. The 49ers will need to toss some more coin at him if they want to bring him. His market will be quite interesting since he will be 27-years old when the regular season kicks off.

Perriman is still young and has shown that he has cleaned up his performance. If there ends up being multiple teams showing interest, then the 49ers could be out of the sweepstakes. However, if they have to up the cost a bit, then he would be worth it. He would give the Niners a big body at receiver. A reliable red-zone target would benefit this offense immensely, especially one that has the speed that he does.