Will Richie James Jr. Make the 49ers Final Roster Cut?
Making the 49ers final roster cut is going to be an uphill climb for Richie James Jr.
With all of the players who have been added and are returning at the wide-receiver position, it makes it extremely difficult for him. The fact that he hasn't shown any value on offense makes him expendable.
I would even add that he possibly made Kyle Shanahan's shortlist of players in the doghouse. James was shaky for the entire Super Bowl and never broke through during that game. Seeing that had to have irked Shanahan. If there is anything Shanahan gets annoyed with, it is errors like James' muffed punt early in the game.
So to answer the ultimate question: No, James will not make the 49ers final roster.
He's a dime-a-dozen player. He holds very little, if any value at all. If James couldn't impress Shanahan last season with his limited snaps on offense, why on Earth would he be able to in 2020 now that the receiver position has plenty of players to get looked at?
The odds are just completely stacked against James. In a way, he was never really granted a fair shot in the offense. I always believed he was one of the better route-runners that the 49ers had at their disposal. Just look at how patient and clean he his on this release to give him six against the Buccaneers.
Prior to the acquisition of Emmanuel Sanders mid-season, I was advocating for James to receiver more snaps on offense.
Alas, Shanahan completely ignored James and opted to keep his hopes up for his beloved Dante Pettis. There definitely is some talent that needs to get tapped into with James. It just won't be with the 49ers. They simply have too many players that they have to see in their offense before ever even thinking of James.
And as much as I believe James has untapped potential, the 49ers are better off rolling out their rookies and returning injured players from last year.
So if James is gone, who will take over punt returning duties?
The 49ers could implement Pettis back there again. It would give Shanahan a reason to keep him on the roster. I suspect he will be at odds about cutting him after coming off a blunder of a season. Trent Taylor could even see work there. Punt returner isn't a tough position to fill, which is why James' future with the 49ers is bleak.
Aside from returning punts, the only other facet of James' game to defend is his role in practice. He did prove useful during practice as part of the scout team . Thanks to his speed, the 49ers can get a sense of how to defend speedy teams like when they were preparing for the Ravens. James acted as the Lamar Jackson on scout team.
Still, as much as that is an overlooked part, the 49ers are not going to keep James because he helps them in scout team. Barring a need for depth due to the coronavirus, any chance for James sticking with the 49ers will come to an end this year.
