The 49ers badly need reinforcements at wide receiver after injuries left them with just three healthy players at the position to end Week 1, and they were set to have only four healthy players there going into their second game with the Jets.
To help bolster their receiving corps, San Francisco agreed to terms with veteran pass catcher Mohamed Sanu, who spent the 2016 season in Atlanta with Kyle Shanahan.
This isn’t a scenario though where Sanu is only needed for depth. The 49ers need him to contribute right away, especially if tight end George Kittle is unavailable. The combination of Kendrick Bourne, Dante Pettis and Trent Taylor had just four catches for 41 yards in the season opener. Rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk missed Week 1 with a hamstring injury and should return vs. the Jets, but his ability to contribute in his NFL debut after a shortened offseason is uncertain.
Shanahan on Wednesday in a pre-practice conference all told reporters that while Sanu won’t be able to practice until Friday due to the NFL’s COVID-19 testing rules, he should be able to suit up and play snaps thanks to his familiarity with the system and technology.
“That’s the benefit of being with someone before, that he’s familiar with the offense,” Shanahan said. “He only had one year away from it and did some very similar verbiage and stuff in Atlanta, even after I left. So, he’s familiar with it. It’s good that we got him done so he can at least listen to our meetings. He can’t be here, but he has an idea of the game plan, can see it all. He’ll be able to get there out at practice, which is a half-speed practice anyways. Mo will do his part. He’s a pro. He’ll learn his responsibilities, what he has to do and basically the decision of whether he’ll play or not probably is going to depend with the health of our other receivers and how that goes this week.”
The 49ers are confident in what they’re getting in Sanu. Despite a lackluster eight games with the Patriots last year after they made a midseason trade for him and then his subsequent release following this year’s training camp, Shanahan said the team didn’t get a chance to work Sanu out before negotiating a one-year contract with him. Again, technology aided the process.
“It was too hard to bring guys in for a workout and stuff. It just takes too many other days,” Shanahan said. “So, that’s what was good with being familiar with Mo, that he could get here, start studying the playbook, allow him in Zoom meetings. So, if need be, if we need the numbers out there, he’ll be ready.”
It’s probably unrealistic to expect Sanu to start and play 80 percent of the snaps if Aiyuk, Bourne, Pettis and Taylor are all healthy. However, if the 49ers find themselves in an offensive rut similar to the one they were in over the final four quarters in Week 1, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sanu get some playing time to try and help kickstart the passing game.
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