Richie James Jr. Takes the 49ers Offense to Another Level
Richie James Jr. should have gotten his big break sooner.
Almost every time he gets the ball on offense, he makes something good happen. Since the 49ers drafted him in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, James has averaged a whopping 20 yards per catch, and their quarterbacks' passer rating when they throw to him is 101.5.
And yet, James has caught only 24 passes in his three-season career. And that includes his nine-catch, 184-yard, one-touchdown performance from this past Sunday. He's had to wait his turn on the bench while stiffs such as Trent Taylor and Dante Pettis have gotten playing time.
I have a feeling that's about to change.
The Niners can't put James back on the bench now -- not after he played so well on national television. Everyone sees what the 49ers have taken so long to realize -- James is a stud. They have to give him a role in the offense. And from now on, he should be the No. 3 receiver behind Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Nothing against Kendrick Bourne, a fine possession receiver, James is just more explosive and more versatile. He can run the jet sweeps and gadget plays that are so integral to the 49ers offense.
"I've always had a lot of confidence in Richie," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Saturday. "That's why he was one of the four receivers who dressed for the Super Bowl. Richie had some bad luck with injuries this year. If he would have been healthy in training camp with Deebo being down and Aiyuk being down, he would've started Week 1. He just came back that week and then re-injured it then, pulled his hamstring in the game. He was out another month. Then he was just coming back from an ankle after last game. So, we've got a lot of confidence in Richie. I kind of expected him to do what he did because he is that type of player. I was just glad he was able to make it through the game because I know he was coming off an injury too.”
So Shanahan had his reasons not to play James sooner -- fine. Fair enough. As long as he continues to play James from now on, the 49ers offense will be tough to stop no matter who plays quarterback.
