A Need for Speed: Brandon Aiyuk Should be the 49ers Punt Returner

Brandon Aiyuk is fast.

At the NFL combine, he ran a 4.5 40-yard dash -- a solid time. But that number does not truly indicate how fast he really is. At the time, Aiyuk was coming off a core-muscle injury, which compromised his performance.

Since Ted Ginn left in 2012, the 49ers have struggled to find a returner who possesses game-changing capabilities. Here is a list of the team’s primary punt returner each year since:

2013: LaMike James (23 returns - 251 yards - 10.9 yards per return - 0 touchdowns)
2014-15: Bruce Ellington (42 returns - 325 yards - 7.7 yards per return - 0 touchdowns)
2016: Jeremy Kerley (21 returns - 158 yards - 7.5 yards per return - 0 touchdowns)
2017: Trent Taylor (30 returns - 281 yards - 9.4 yards per return - 0 touchdowns)
2018: Richie James Jr. / Taylor / Dante Pettis

James: (12 returns - 75 yards - 6.3 yard per return - 0 touchdowns)
Taylor: (10 returns - 78 yards - 7.8 yards per return - 0 touchdowns)
Pettis: (9 returns - 27 yards - 3 yards per return - 0 touchdowns)

2019: James Jr. (33 returns - 264 yards - 8 yards per return - 0 touchdowns)

In his three seasons in San Francisco, Ginn returned 94 punts for 1,113 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, the 49ers have not returned a punt for a touchdown since Ginn’s departure. Ginn returned a punt for a touchdown in the season opener against the Seahawks on September 11th, 2011. It has been nine - nine!!! - years since a punt has been returned for a touchdown.

If Aiyuk has the chance to return punts for the 49ers, which he absolutely should, he certainly has the capabilities of ending the punt-return-for-a-touchdown drought. At Arizona State, Aiyuk returned 25 punts for 293 yards and a touchdown. He also returned 29 kicks for 785 yards.

Brandon Aiyuk weaved his way through everyone for the return touchdown 🙌#SunDevils pic.twitter.com/iFtUT9cLVu
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) November 17, 2019

Brandon Aiyuk should step in right away and return kicks for the #49ers. He averaged 32 yards per return last season. Here’s his two against USC. Aiyuk was a couple yards short of a touchdown, so USC kicked it short the next time and Aiyuk still took it to the 50. pic.twitter.com/6BlZScv47w
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) April 24, 2020

During his final season at Sierra College, Aiyuk returned 11 kicks for 418 yards and scored two touchdowns. On 14 punt returns, he gained 313 yards and scored a touchdown.

In addition to his speed and ability to accelerate quickly, what makes Aiyuk an electric returner is his ball-carrying vision and the fact he is so hard to tackle.

It is beyond evident that Aiyuk can be that explosive returner, which the team has lacked for many years.

But the question is not could he do it… it’s should he do it?

The short answer: hell yes.

The only obvious reason as to why Aiyuk would not be the returner is because of the additional opportunities that he could get hurt. I agree that having him return both kicks and punts may be too risky, especially considering the injury to Deebo Samuel and the unknown injury of Jalen Hurd (reported by many sources at today’s training camp).

But specifically returning punts should not be a problem.

Punt-return injury concerns are overblown:

Football is football. Injuries could happen on any snap, regardless of its special teams or not. Realistically, Aiyuk being the punt returner would jeopardize his health two to three more times per game, on top of his offensive snaps.

Last year, James finished tied for third for punt returns (33) with Tarik Cohen. The only returners with more were Kenjon Barner (35) and Deonte Harris (36). In addition to the 33 returns, James also called for a fair catch 11 times.

Opponents punted to the 49ers 75 times last season. James fielded about 59% of the punts, and returned only 44% of them.

It is important to note that James doubled down as the 49ers’ kick and punt returner. Despite handling both duties, James was active for all 19 games last year, and displayed solid durability throughout the season.

Assuming the punt returner workload is similar to last year, the team should feel comfortable in Aiyuk taking over.

First-round picks can return kicks (or punts):

Forget the notion that first-round selections are too valuable to jeopardize their health on returns. If they were meant to be returners, then let them be returners.

We’ve seen speedsters like Ginn and Tavon Austin, who signed with the 49ers this past week, get drafted extremely high and immediately take on return responsibilities. More recently, we’ve seen players like Christian McCaffrey, Adoree’ Jackson, Jabrill Peppers, and Will Fuller go in the first round and do the same.

But it doesn’t end there. We’ve seen players who weren’t first-round picks, but are stars in the NFL, continue to return kicks and punts. This list includes players like Antonio Brown, Tyreek Hill, and Alvin Kamara.

Of course there is always a time where you eventually say, “Okay, this player is too good to risk on special teams”. Take McCaffrey for example. Once it was clear he was a top NFL running back, the Panthers stopped having him return punts.

Aiyuk is not at the point where he is such a focal point of the offense, where you absolutely cannot under any circumstance afford to play him at returner.

The bottom line is he has tremendous value as a returner, and the team should get as much out of the rook as possible.

Importance of returners in the playoffs

This is something 49ers fans do not need to be reminded of, but it is an important point to bring up. Not having a confident returner in the playoffs can really hurt a team. It hurt the 49ers in 2012, and it could’ve really hurt them in this past Super Bowl.

James muffed a punt in the big game against the Chiefs. Luckily for James, he was able to recover the loose ball. There is no other way to put it, he had the yips. The playoff, big-moment yips are a real thing for returners who lack confidence.

For a team that should find themselves right back in the playoffs, and even the Super Bowl, having a returner who lacks confidence is the last thing you want. That’s a game-changing-type returner, except they’re changing the game for the wrong team.

If Aiyuk has an impact as both a receiver and a returner over the course of a full season, then he should go into the playoffs gushing with confidence.

The decisions the 49ers make now in regards to punt returner will have an impact on the team down the road. I feel like Aiyuk is a no-brainer to have returning punts. We’ll see in the coming weeks if the team feels the same way.

Follow me on Twitter: @NinerNick_22