49ers address injuries at wideout by signing veteran Mohamed Sanu
Mohamed Sanu joins a wide receiver corps ravaged by injury.
The San Francisco 49ers have signed Mohamed Sanu to a one-year contract, his agent confirmed, with the veteran wide receiver joining a team that has been decimated by injuries at the position.
Mike McCartney announced the deal in a post on Twitter.
A lack of depth at wideout was evident as San Francisco slumped to a surprise 24-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in their season opener.
In that game, the Niners were without Deebo Samuel, who is on injured reserve after suffering a setback in his recovery from a Jones fracture, and first-round rookie Brandon Aiyuk.
The 49ers desperately needed some help at wideout
Aiyuk is expected to return from a hamstring injury in time for the Week 2 clash with the New York Jets. However, the Niners also lost Richie James to a hamstring problem in the defeat to the Cardinals.
Sanu instantly becomes the most experienced receiver on the San Francisco depth chart and the 31-year-old brings familiarity with Kyle Shanahan’s offense from his time with the Atlanta Falcons.
His sole season in Atlanta with Shanahan as offensive coordinator in 2016 saw Sanu make 59 catches for 653 yards and four touchdowns.
He remained productive following Shanahan’s departure for San Francisco and posted a career-high 838 receiving yards in 2018. A trade from the Falcons to the New England Patriots followed in 2019 but did not work out as injuries stymied his progress in Foxborough.
Sanu was released by the Patriots this month but the Niners will hope he still has some juice in his ninth season in the NFL and that he can provide a dependable target for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Sanu gives the 49ers a physical presence at wide receiver while his route-running skills and abilities as a downfield blocker will surely be highly valued by Shanahan.
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The Niners can ill-afford too many passing-game performances like the one they produced against Arizona. San Francisco’s aerial attack is unlikely to reach its full potential until Aiyuk and Samuel return but Sanu’s arrival gives them a veteran who can hold the fort in the meantime and provide valuable depth for a team that has sights set on a Super Bowl return.