The 49ers receiving corps will be worth keeping a close eye on when the team begins training camp in late July.
Aside from the Brandon Aiyuk situation, which may or may not be resolved by the time the team takes the field, San Francisco also has a handful of receivers who appeared to be in the team’s long-term plans that might now be on the outs.
For the sake of argument here we’ll say Aiyuk is with the club since that appears to be the likeliest outcome regardless of whether he gets an extension done. That leaves this group cemented on the roster:
Deebo Samuel
Brandon Aiyuk
Ricky Pearsall
Jauan Jennings
Even if the team keeps six receivers, that leaves two spots for a group of several players vying for those spots. At least one player is going to be out among Danny Gray, Ronnie Bell and Jacob Cowing. Chris Conley became a trusted option for head coach Kyle Shanahan down the stretch last season, and Trent Taylor returned on a one-year free agent deal.
Even if we remove Conley and Taylor, assuming they can be scooped for the practice squad, that means Cowing, Bell and Gray are three players vying for two roster spots.
It’s hard to imagine the 49ers are going to give up on Cowing, a rookie fourth-round pick, after just one training camp. That leaves one spot for Bell and Gray if the 49ers keep six receivers.
That’s where Bell has the edge over Gray, who spent all of last season on Injured Reserve. Bell was a seventh-round rookie last year and managed to be more productive in his first year than Gray, a former third-round pick. Bell caught six passes for 68 yards and three touchdowns in 183 offensive snaps while also contributing 112 special teams snaps. Gray as a rookie caught one ball for 10 yards in 87 offensive snaps and contributed just 19 special teams snaps.
That leaves a very narrow path to the roster for Gray. He has two options assuming the 49ers receiving corps is fully healthy.
Gray’s first option is the least likely. He’d have to take such a significant leap as a receiver that the 49ers simply couldn’t leave him off the roster. This would put him ahead of Pearsall for offensive snaps, and might even pull him ahead of Jennings.
His second, more likely option, is to find ways to make a special teams impact. That’s another place he’d need to take a significant leap, but it’s an easier leap to make than the one on offense.
Realistic math says Gray is the odd man out going into camp. Even if the 49ers may be wary of cutting a third-round pick before his third NFL season, history says they’ll do it if they don’t think that player is going to contribute (see: running backs Trey Sermon and Tyrion Davis-Price). That makes Gray one of the most interesting players to watch in camp. He’ll either make the club and have an impact, or be on the hunt for a new team.
