Wide receiver Trent Taylor is among the San Francisco 49ers' reinforcements who are expected to give the offense a boost during the upcoming season. He — along with Jalen Hurd — spent most of last season on injured reserve and didn't appear in a single game during the team's Super Bowl campaign.
Taylor dealt with a foot injury that he suffered during an August practice. That came after feeling limited as he recovered from back surgery in 2018.
The receiver has been catching passes from his quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, and is feeling great while doing so. That is good news for the 49ers passing game as the team endeavors to return to the Super Bowl following a disheartening defeat in the big game in February.
"I'm getting back to my squirrely ways," Taylor recently told Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
Taylor has been part of a group of receivers that includes Hurd, Kendrick Bourne, and others catching passes from Garoppolo in the Bay Area.
#49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo to WR Kendrick Bourne at SJSU.
The 49ers' offense is definitely putting in the offseason work. Helps that Garoppolo isn't rehabbing and can focus on getting better this offseason. pic.twitter.com/lD9CrKqDWT
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) June 3, 2020
Taylor, who is entering his fourth NFL season, and his position teammates aren't just out there molding their bodies and keeping them in football shape. They are molding their football minds during the throwing sessions.
"There's a lot of talking," Taylor said, "learning from the quarterback's perspective and the receiver's perspective. So I think it's real beneficial for us."
Taylor caught 69 receptions for 645 yards with three touchdowns in his first two seasons with the team. Most of that came during his rookie campaign in 2017 when he hauled in 43 passes for 430 yards with two trips into the end zone.
Taylor expects to be ready to go for the start of training camp, assuming it begins as it usually does at the end of July. The receiver is back to doing all of the things he is used to doing during the offseason.
"I don't know if you would say that I'm ready to go out and play a football game," Taylor added. "I mean, I could if I had to. But mainly, I'm just steadily getting back to normal right now. It feels good. My foot's able to run routes and make cuts right now. So I'm real happy to be back doing that."
Click here to read the entire feature in The Athletic.