All 49ers

Terrell Owens' Son, Terique, Has Been a Pleasant Surprise for the 49ers

On Tuesday, Owens caught a deep touchdown pass during 1-on-1 drills after beating cornerback Ambry Thomas, then Owens caught another deep touchdown pass during 11-on-11 team drills after beating cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. Which means Owens is beating legitimate NFL defensive backs.

Grant Cohn

May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terique Owens (84) runs drills during the 49ers rookie minicamp at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Mandatory Credit: Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports
May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terique Owens (84) runs drills during the 49ers rookie minicamp at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Mandatory Credit: Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

When the 49ers invited Terique Owens to their local Pro Day this offseason, it seemed like they were doing his famous father a favor.

Terrell Owens is a Hall of Fame wide receiver who played for the 49ers from 1996 to 2003. Terique Owens, Terrell's son, is an undrafted free agent rookie wide receiver who currently is playing better at 49ers training camp than anyone expected he would.

Terique Owens caught just 46 passes in three seasons at Missouri State, so he had no chance to get drafted. That's why he went to the 49ers' local Pro Day. It's usually for under-the-radar players who grew up in the Bay Area or went to college in the Bay Area. And it seemed like nepotism was the only reason Owens got an invitation.

But of all the players who attended the 49ers' local Pro Day this year, Owens was the one player they invited to training camp. And through six training camp practices, Owens has been the best rookie wide receiver on the roster.

Granted, first-round pick Ricky Pearsall missed the first four practices with a pulled hamstring and fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing has missed the past three practices with the same injury. So those two could surpass Owens soon. But for now, Owens is the one who has made the best plays.

On Tuesday, Owens caught a deep touchdown pass during 1-on-1 drills after beating cornerback Ambry Thomas, then Owens caught another deep touchdown pass during 11-on-11 team drills after beating cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. Which means Owens is beating legitimate NFL defensive backs.

Of course, that doesn't mean Owens will make the 49ers' 53-man roster. But even if he doesn't initially, he almost certainly will make their practice squad, and then he'd be one injury away from getting promoted to the active roster.

Watch out.

Published
Grant Cohn

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

Home/News