Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The thought that a team's leading wide receiver from a season ago might not make the roster seems unthinkable. But nothing is guaranteed for San Francisco 49ers wideout
Kendrick Bourne as he enters his third NFL season.
The 49ers added a lot of depth and competition to the group this offseason. Still, just two wide receivers on the roster have more than two seasons of NFL experience. One, Jordan Matthews, is a new addition. The other is Marquise Goodwin.
San Francisco drafted two receivers this year —
Deebo Samuel and
Jalen Hurd. That potentially could push Bourne down the depth chart a bit. Is this a "make or break" offseason for him? If it is, Bourne is making his case with some strong showings during recent practices.
"When I first came in (as an undrafted rookie in 2017), there was a lot of competition too," Bourne told reporters on Friday. "A lot of good guys around me. I think it's even better now. You've just got to stack the days. You put yourself in a bad spot having bad days.
"Knowing how good the room is, it kind of pushes you every day. When I go to sleep at night, I think about it. 'Okay, we've got a good group of guys, so I've got to have a good day.'
"I make sure I study up extra, and just making sure I'm on top of everything so when plays come, live like they do, I've just got to make them happen, like I've been doing."
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Bourne caught 42 passes for 487 yards with four touchdowns last season. That was enough to lead all wideouts on the roster. San Francisco was the only team last season not to have a wideout with 500-or-more receiving yards, and one of just three that did not have a receiver gain 600-or-more yards (Miami, Washington).
One thing that might help Bourne earn a spot on the 53-man roster is the on-field relationship he has with his quarterbacks.
"I've caught touchdowns from each quarterback," Bourne said. "Just having that kind of relationship with all of them, so when we're in, they see me out there, he has confidence (in me), my quarterback. So I try to have a relationship with Jimmy (Garoppolo). Nick (Mullens), and C.J. (Beathard), so once they see my number, they believe in me, and they'll maybe just come to me if they're in a pressure situation. You never know."
Bourne isn't the only young receiver who has been turning heads in practices. Tight end
George Kittle on Friday said third-year wideout
Trent Taylor is
"cooking dudes left and right."
Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin are likely roster locks; as are rookies Samuel and Hurd. That leaves seven others, including Bourne, Matthews, and Taylor, fighting for potentially two more spots. That means players are doing everything they can to make the team.
"You can't come out here and be lazy," Bourne added. "You have to be 100 percent. You have to play through injuries, just everything. We've got a lot of guys going through little nicks and bangs right now. It's just we know what's on the line. It's like a make or break year for a lot of us."
After jumping out to a 10-point lead and knocking QB Drew Brees out of the game, the 49ers went "No Gas, All Brakes" in their 27-13 loss to the Saints.
The San Francisco 49ers had an opportunity to stun the New Orleans Saints after jumping out to a quick lead, but a combination of turnovers, a lackluster offensive performance, and abysmal special teams play allowed the Saints to cruise to an easy victory over a mostly disinterested Niners team and coaching staff.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan reached his Promised Land -- the team's annual bye week --
Nobody likes the always-the-victim mentality. We all know that person and his/her endless tales of woe, discord, and pain.
The San Francisco 49ers are not complaining, but they are the unfortunate victim of the never-ending fallout of this rotten year. Indeed, the New York Jets are winless, but the 49ers had the potential to dominate the NFC again this year.
As they tormented Odysseus, the fates felt it necessary for the men in scarlet red and gold to suffer.
The amount of misfortune that's happened to the 49ers has been entirely out of their control. They cannot control a sticky artificial surface any more than they can prevent a rogue defensive lineman rolling up on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's foot.
There is an upside to the misery.
Face it, most of you don't deserve QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Yes, you, the ones who spend your entire weekend pining over other QBs and lamenting the one the 49ers currently have as QB1. The spoiled, ungrateful brats of the 49ers fanbase who cannot find it in them to show any appreciation for the man they call Jimmy G. Fans like these make a situation insufferable for a player dedicating his life and body to the team.
As Garoppolo spends his weeks working his way back from another high-ankle sprain, many 49ers fans are fantasizing about how to replace him. This isn't a foreign concept for the 49ers. No QB is ever good enough for this fanbase. Steve Young can attest to this from his experience in the early 90s. He was never going to be Joe, and that was a big problem for a good
