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Jimmy Garoppolo discusses the additions of Jordan Matthews and Deebo Samuel to the 49ers’ offensive arsenal
May 22, 2019 at 9:35 AM
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The San Francisco 49ers went through a bit of a retooling of their wide receiver group this offseason. Gone is veteran Pierre Garçon as the team brought in several new targets for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Two of those additions are veteran Jordan Matthews and rookie
Deebo Samuel, who San Francisco selected in the second round of last month's draft.
Garoppolo spoke to reporters on Tuesday about the new receivers and what each brings to the offense.
"They're two different receivers," Garoppolo said. "Jordan has a wingspan like seven feet or something; it's insane. You think you miss him on a pass and he'll make you look good as a receiver, so you love that.
"And then Deebo, he's had a couple, yesterday especially, that after the catch he's just so explosive and fast. So it's a long way to go for all of us, but I think we're moving in the right direction."
No 49ers wideout surpassed 500 yards receiving last season with Kendrick Bourne leading the group with 487 yards receiving. Then-rookie Dante Pettis finished the season with 467 yards receiving.
The 49ers were the only team last season not to boast a wideout with 500-or-more yards receiving and one of just three that did not have a receiver gain 600-or-more yards (Miami, Washington).
San Francisco would like to improve those numbers and take some of the pressure off Pro Bowl tight end
George Kittle.
While this is his first year with the 49ers, Matthews replaces Garçon as one of the team's most experienced receivers. Only Marquise Goodwin has been in the NFL longer.
"[Matthews has] been working his tail off and learning a new offense," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Tuesday. "You can tell he's been around. You can tell he's a vet, and he's got some leadership qualities."
The 49ers also drafted Jalen Hurd in the third round. However, he hasn't taken part in OTAs because the coaching and training staffs are easing him back onto the practice field.
Hurd injured his knee in Baylor's regular-season finale against Texas Tech and elected to undergo surgery on December 4, forcing him to miss the Bears' bowl game against Vanderbilt.
"Just the same stuff from coming out of college," Shanahan explained. "He's just not fully there yet. He's been here with us for a week. We want to make sure he gets a couple more weeks in of conditioning.
"You know, he didn't start getting cleared to run until a few weeks before the draft and to only have him for a week, we want to make sure we get a little bit more to get him in football shape."
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Strengths:
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