Free agent wide receiver Dez Bryant expressed an interest in joining the San Francisco 49ers, but the team seems happy heading into the season with the receiver group that it has. One 49ers player who might welcome the former Dallas Cowboy is cornerback Richard Sherman, according to defensive back Will Blackmon.
There are, of course, concerns about Bryant's locker room presence on a young team like the 49ers and how much of a workload he might demand in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. Although, the veteran receiver would give San Francisco something the team has lacked for years – a big red-zone target.
Blackmon, who appeared on NFL Network on Thursday, was asked to pick a team that would be a good fit for Bryant.
"I like the 49ers," Blackman said. "Everyone's going to say, 'Oh, his personality,' but you know what? I actually talked to Richard Sherman, and I asked him, 'Would you welcome Dez on your team?' He said, 'I would love to have Dez here. He's a competitor.' He said he would be really good in the locker room, so you can throw that out the window.
"And I just feel like with him, Pierre Garçon, Marquise Goodwin, and I know they drafted Dante Pettis, I think to have him in there in that division against the Rams, who are the team to beat with that crazy secondary, I think Dez would be a great fit for the Niners."
"I think Dez would be a touchdown machine there."
A perfect landing spot for the former Cowboys WR?
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Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported last week that San Francisco is excited about its current group of receivers and aren't likely to pursue the former Cowboy.
"John Lynch, the 49ers GM, did a lot of Dez Bryant's games at his peak when Lynch was a broadcaster," Pelissero said. "There's a respect there, but my understanding is the 49ers love their receiver group as it is with Pierre Garçon, Marquise Goodwin, they drafted wide receiver Dante Pettis in the second round. (It's) unlikely they're going down the Dez Bryant road anytime soon."
FOX sideline reporter and host of NFL Network's Good Morning Football, Peter Schrager, also recently voiced his concerns about Bryant's fit with the 49ers.
"Now, the Niners have 11 wide receivers on their depth chart, and you're mentioning guys like Kendrick Bourne and Trent Taylor, and I'm not sure those guys are going to end up being No. 1 or 2 guys, but they all have a very good shot at making the team," Schrager said. "You put a Dez Bryant in there, and you pay him more than (Pierre) Garçon ... then suddenly, there is an expectation for him to be given a workload. It's not just him stepping in and saying, 'Ok, I'll take scraps, or I'll compete for the fourth or fifth receiver spot.'
"You talk about team chemistry. You talk about what they are building. You talk about the direction and the way they're going. I feel like the Niners are pretty set right now."
