Whoever the quarterback of the future is for the San Francisco 49ers, that player is going to need some support on offense. Right now, the team has wide receiver Pierre Garçon as its number one receiver when many believe he is better suited to be a number two receiver. Behind him is a whole lot of youth and inexperience.
The 49ers are in Year One of a massive roster overhaul and rebuild, which means rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard doesn't have a whole lot to work with. He could use some support on the football field if the 49ers plan to develop him. Beathard will start his second ever NFL game on Sunday in a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
On this week's "No Huddle" podcast, Kevin Jones and our own Zain Naqvi brought up an interesting potential solution. What about Martavis Bryant of the Pittsburgh Steelers? The disgruntled receiver has been frustrated with his lack of production and reduced playing time since returning from a season-long suspension last year.
Bryant lashed out on social media against Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has cut into his playing time, and even requested a trade if his playing time doesn't increase.
Now, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has already stated that Bryant is not going to be traded.
"We've invested a lot in Martavis since we drafted him," Tomlin said. "He's not available via trade. We've invested a lot."
The story developed further when news broke on Wednesday that Bryant would not play on Sunday night against the Detroit Lions.
"If I'm not traded I'm going to work my butt off here, and whatever happens happens," Bryant said on Wednesday. "You're not going to hear me complaining no more. I'm just going to be quiet and let everything fall into place."
Maybe there is a price for Bryant which might appeal to Pittsburgh. Maybe he's a distraction the team would be willing to offload. Jones believes the 49ers should inquire about a trade and get Beathard some help as he develops.
"What do you have to lose? He's very cheap," Jones said. "If you trust your culture in your locker room, I mean, if you're going to cut NaVorro Bowman, you're that into culture, I guess maybe you're scared that this is a bad egg. You don't want to touch him but, to me, I'm exploring trades here to try and inject life into this offense.
"Marquise Goodwin is a nice solid piece. He's not a number two receiver in the NFL every down, every week. It's just not going to be enough."
Naqvi agrees and feels a trade for Bryant is worth exploring.
"That just makes too much sense," Naqvi said. "He may not be like a 'John Lynch guy,' but at this point, you don't need boy scouts. You need guys who can play football. The last thing I want the 49ers to do is to fall into that Mike Nolan sort of trap where they only bring in Mike Nolan guys and they ended up with a roster that was just not working.
"So, I just want guys that can play football and I think that Martavis Bryant makes a lot of sense. Although, Mike Tomlin came out [on Tuesday] and said that he's not on the market. What is he supposed to say? He can't say that Martavis Bryant is on the market, right?"
A receiver of Bryant's caliber would likely be the 49ers' top receiver.
"[Bryant is] jealous of JuJu Smith-Schuster," Jones continued. "He won't have anyone to be jealous of here because they're going to need him to be the star. Pierre's been great and Pierre, I'm sure, would gladly welcome this too."
Jones went on to say the 49ers probably trust their ability to draft future contributors for the team. However, the 49ers might have an excellent window of opportunity to acquire a player who could already be better than anyone they can draft.
"At the end of the day, if the 49ers don't trade for him, internally, they're saying, 'We can draft someone,'" Jones said. "But, I mean, are you going to draft a Martavis Bryant in the second, third, fourth round? You're able to trade a fourth- or fifth-round pick. He's that value and more. He's probably worth way more than a rookie coming in."
The trade deadline is October 31.
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