Why the 49ers should award Richie James Jr. the final spot at receiver

With roster cuts coming by the end of the week, the San Francisco 49ers have some big decisions to make at wide receiver. The final spot should be awarded to Richie James Jr. over Kendrick Bourne.
Why the 49ers should award Richie James Jr. the final spot at receiver
Why the 49ers should award Richie James Jr. the final spot at receiver /

Through three preseason games, the wide receiver group for the San Francisco 49ers has begun to show some clarity. As it stands, the locks at the position are Marquise Goodwin, Deebo Samuel, Dante Pettis, Jalen Hurd and Trent Taylor. You can also throw in Jordan Matthews to the mix after the vote of confidence given by Kyle Shanahan a week ago.

That leaves Kendrick Bourne and Richie James Jr. as the two players fighting over the final spot at reciever. Now unless the 49ers keep eight receivers, which would be insane, then one of these two players are going to be cut. The San Francisco 49ers should award Richie James Jr. the final spot at wide receiver. It didn’t look like he would make the cut since Kendrick Bourne had been receiving praise for his strong training camp.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t capitalized on many opportunities when given a shot in games. Some of his drops have definitely hurt him, which has pretty much offset his impressive camp performance. Richie James Jr. on the other hand hasn’t wasted his opportunities. Last Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs he had the most gorgeous route against Bashuad Breeland that setup the passing touchdown to Matt Breida.

That is a type of route that we don’t really see Kendrik Bourne execute well, which is a one cut stutter that reels in the defender. It also helps that James has some speed to him. There has been some inconsistencies, however, in Jame’s game which is fine because he can still be coached up. His stutter step is a perfect example that he can be that explosive receiver to aid the group.

Yet he carries more value to the San Francisco 49ers than Bourne does. At least with James, he can contribute and impact on special teams. When you’re that low on the depth chart it is critical to establish a presence on special teams. Richie James Jr. is likely the best bet at returner for the 49ers.

He fielded returns last season for the team and has looked good returning this preseason.Dante Pettis hasn’t risen to the occasion and I doubt the Kyle Shanahan will want to risk putting Deebo Samuel out there. Kendrick Bourne was the leading receiver for the 49ers last season and now his future with the team is questionable. The 49ers should award Richie James Jr. with the final spot at wide receiver.


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Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE LUIS SANCHEZ III

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.