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The San Francisco 49ers had their future at wide receiver thrown into flux when WR Brandon Aiyuk went down with a catastrophic injury in Week 7 of the 2024 season. Their falling out with the former All-Pro only added to their urgency to find production in their receiving corps.
Injuries limited their receiver group last season and catalyzed the Mike Evans addition in the offseason. The 49ers also used the first pick in the second round on WR De'Zhaun Stribling and signed veteran WR Christian Kirk. Their depth should be a little better this season. Whether they improved the position enough to become Super Bowl contenders reamins to be seen, but training camp should give us some good insights into just how good that group can be in 2026.
Here's how things look at receiver for the 49ers entering training camp:
Who's on the 49ers' roster at WR?
- Mike Evans
- Ricky Pearsall
- De'Zhaun Stribling (Rookie)
- Christian Kirk
- Demarcus Robinson
- Jordan Watkins
- Jacob Cowing
- Junior Bergen
- Malik Turner
- Wesley Grimes
- Colton Dowell
- Will Pauling
Are there any updates on the WR depth chart?
The Evans addition gives the top of the 49ers WR corps a new look. He's also a steady veteran presence they've been missing at their top two receiver spots. Pearsall should be one of the top two WRs again as long as he's healthy. After that things are up in the air. Stribling's development, Kirk's health, and whether Watkins or Cowing can break through will ultimately determine who lands where in the next couple of WR spots.
What are the position battles?
There's no real battles for the top two spots, but Stribling should push for playing time right away. With Kirk, Robinson and Watkins all potential third WR candidates it should be a crowded showdown for the No. 3 WR snaps. There'll be battles for the back end of the roster spots as well, but that tends to come down to special teams contributions more than offensive production.
What's the position's biggest question mark?
We'll leave health out of this since that's arguably every position's biggest question mark on every team. For the 49ers, the question mark is whether they have enough depth behind Evans and Pearsall. Stribling is a rookie, Kirk hasn't been super productive in the last two years, and neither Cowing nor Watkins have proven themselves as pros yet. Robinson is probably a fourth WR on a good team at this point in his career. The top of the 49ers' depth chart is strong, but will they have enough to threaten teams when they dig into their third and fourth WR spots? That'll need to be figured out over the next couple of months.
How many WRs will the 49ers keep?
San Francisco typically keeps five or six receivers. Right now we'll say they keep six with Evans, Pearsall, Stribling and Kirk all penciled in for roster spots. That leaves two spots open for special teams contributors or added depth for any potential injuries at the top of the depth chart. Robinson is a quality depth player, and then whichever player between Cowing and Watkins can help most on special teams would round out the roster.
More 49ers: Why De’Zhaun Stribling could be an OROTY sleeper pick in 2026
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Did the 49ers do enough at WR to compete for a Super Bowl in 2026?
