The San Francisco 49ers have revamped their wideout position, signing Mike Evans and Christian Kirk while also drafting De’Zhaun Stribling in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Moreover, Ricky Pearsall is a part of the wideout group, and so there are four potential reliable targets for QB Brock Purdy. Nonetheless, three of the four wideouts have trouble staying healthy.
Due to the injury concerns, 49ers on SI’s Grant Cohn believes that the Niners should consider reuniting with Deebo Samuel, who remains a free agent, and would give the team more depth at a position in which there’s concern as to whether the wideouts can stay healthy.
“I just think it would be so on brand for the Niners when they finally cut Brandon Aiyuk to change the narrative, spin the narrative and bring back Deebo Samuel,” Cohn said in a July 4 video on his YouTube channel.
“Right now they don’t need Deebo Samuel because they have Mike Evans, De’Zhaun Stribling and Ricky Pearsall. But Ricky Pearsall hasn’t had a full offseason in the NFL. He’s in and out constantly. I can’t remember him playing three practices in a row.
“Then you’ve got Mike Evans at 33 on the other side and a rookie as the backup. It just seems so easy for the Niners to bring back Deebo. If Ricky pulls his hamstring or Mike Evans pulls his hamstring, who do you think is going to be the next guy they call? They love Deebo Samuel.”
What Would Deebo Samuel Bring to the Niners?
During his six seasons with the 49ers, Samuel recorded 334 catches for 4,792 yards and scored 42 touchdowns in 81 games, per StatMuse. Last season with the Washington Commanders, played 713 total snaps, leading to a 69.4 overall PFF grade.
Samuel hauled in 72 receptions on 99 targets for 727 receiving yards and five touchdowns while averaging 10.1 yards per reception and generating 471 yards after the catch.
49ers Might Want to Give Young Players a Chance to Play
Moreover, Cohn believes that the Niners are allowing for Pearsall to establish himself as the team’s WR2 or WR3, depending on where Stribling and Kirk stack up in this ordering of the depth chart.
“I just think they’re giving Ricky a chance,” Cohn added. “They’re giving the young guys a chance. But they don’t really like young guys. As soon as Ricky misses one practice, as soon as De’Zhaun Stribling misses one play call, Kyle’s going to get frustrated. He’s like, ‘Man, I like Stribling, but I wish he was 30.’ Yeah, he’s got a lot of promise, but he’s not 30 yet…
“I think he’s definitely going to be this year’s Kendrick Bourne, or he’s not on the team yet, but as soon as a wide receiver misses a week of training camp, Deebo’s back and they’re going to throw a parade for this man.”
It will be interesting to see whether Samuel signs with another team before the start of the 2026 season or waits for an opportunity to open up if a playoff contender like the 49ers suffers an injury and needs help at wide receiver.
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