The 49ers are set to sign wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to a one-year deal according to his agent, Mike McCartney.
Sanu has one year in Kyle Shanahan’s offense when the two were both in Atlanta for the 2016 season. He finished that season with 59 catches for 653 yards and four touchdowns. His familiarity with the scheme should help him transition quickly to help out a 49ers WR corps that desperately needs help.
Deebo Samuel is on Injured Reserve for at least two more weeks with a foot injury. Rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is still working through a hamstring injury, and Richie James Jr. exited Sunday’s game vs. Arizona with a hamstring issue. With River Cracraft, Kevin White and seventh-round pick Jauan Jennings the only in-house options available, it makes sense San Francisco would go elsewhere for reinforcements.
The 49ers receivers in their season opener accounted for only four catches for 41 yards.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday had high praise for Sanu when reporters asked about the free agent receiver:
“Yeah, we’ll see how these injuries go, but I love Sanu. He’s a hell of a player, so him being out there is always a possibility,” Shanahan said. “We’ll look into everything that we have, though. We’ve got to know our numbers are going to be up this week, which we don’t have that settled yet, but I wouldn’t rule that out at all. He’s available and he’s definitely a guy I really respect and I think everyone in this league respects.”
The Patriots acquired Sanu from the Falcons for a second-round pick before last year’s trade deadline. An ankle injury hobbled him and kept him from being effective for New England. He posted just 26 catches for 207 yards and one touchdown in eight games. The Patriots released him at final roster cuts before the start of this season.
Matt Barrows of the Athletic reported Sanu will be in Santa Clara on Tuesday to undergo his required COVID-19 testing. He needs three negative tests before he can join the team. That would put him on the practice field as early as Friday. His status for Sunday is unknown, although his familiarity with the offense should allow him to take snaps relatively quickly.
Sanu was a third-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012 out of Rutgers. In eight seasons he’s racked up 403 catches, 4,507 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns.