Kyle Shanahan on Dante Pettis: "He’s had his opportunities"
Wide receiver Dante Pettis has been sub-par at best this season. The second year wideout was expected to take a leap this season and be a contributor. However, that has been far from the case as Pettis has been a liability out there. In a conference call with the local media today, 49ers' Kyle Shanahan commented on the performance of his wide receivers, which led to him talking about Pettis.
"He’s had his opportunities. The more he doesn’t take advantage of his opportunities, the less he opportunities he gets. He did get a couple last night because of injury and I didn’t think he made them.” Pettis has not been good by any stretch. Even his touchdown score against the Arizona Cardinals in week nine was a result of broken coverage.
It does not behoove Shanahan to roll Pettis out there for the exact reasons he stated. He just isn't taking advantage of his opportunities. Against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night, Pettis had a chance to reel a catch in towards the sideline, but dropped it the moment he was hit. Later in the game, Seahawks' rookie receiver D.K. Metcalf had the same exact play as Pettis where he was also hit, but he actually reeled it in.
At this point, what good is Pettis to this team? On a night where the 49ers are without their top receiving options in George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders, that was the moment for Pettis to step up. He is completely whiffing on his opportunities, but he isn't the only one. The entire wide receiver group was exposed against the Seahawks. A total of nine drops was recorded from them, which is absolutely atrocious.
With Sanders and Kittle now listed as day-to-day with a rib injury, the demand for these receivers to produce is at an all-time high. I have a little faith that any of these wideouts will answer the call. Deebo Samuel is the most likely, but even he has missed plenty of opportunities. The trade for Sanders just looks more and more valuable as the receivers fail to make an impact.
