After a promising start to his NFL career, Dante Pettis retired last season.
The 49ers receiver drew 27 receptions for 467 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games as a rookie, but produced a disappointing sophomore campaign in which he dropped the deep card and ended up in Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse.
It would already be a crucial third NFL season for Pettis, and when San Francisco selected two receivers – Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings – in the NFL Draft in 2020, it certainly proved he was having a hard time cutting back for the 53-man roster. The 49ers are likely to hold no more than six receivers – although the training group is likely to be expanded – and with Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Hurd and Trent Taylor basically guaranteed locks, it looked like Pettis, Jennings, Richie James and Travis Benjamin would compete for one place. It was not a certainty that Pettis would emerge from that competition.
Then Samuel got a Jones fracture in his foot, James broke his wrist and Benjamin kicked out. Suddenly, Pettis’ perspectives faded. He could get a whole offseason job while others could not, and his experience would logically give him a leg up on a rookie, especially the offseason irregularity caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
But the job would not be handed over to him – that’s not how Shanahan rolls. And it seems the pressure on Pettis to have an impressive camp has now been revived.
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Samuel’s injury could temporarily open a place if the 49ers choose to play it safe and put him on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, keeping him out for the first six weeks of the season. That, of course, is no guarantee, based on the fact that he already cuts without a cast.
James is currently on the NFL’s reserve / COVID-19 list, but if he’s healthy, he may be the favorite to take the final spot (as Samuel’s temporary.) But now he and Pettis will have extra competition in the form veteran receivers Tavon Austin and JJ Nelson, who will presumably be signed by the 49ers, pending physics.
Like James and Pettis, Austin and Nelson bring a lot of speed to the table. In fact, they may be even faster. Nelson ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the 2015 NFL Combine (4.28 seconds), while Austin ran his two years earlier in 4.34 seconds. Austin is the most accomplished of the four with 96 career games and also offers a lot of experience as a kick and point returner.
Austin and Nelson were undoubtedly brought in to tackle a lack of healthy bodies at the position, but they are certainly capable of coming out of the competition, and Shanahan clearly wants to add more of a speed element.
Pettis was an incredibly dynamic pro in college and showed tremendous receptive potential as a rookie. He’s probably the most talented of those fighting for the final receiver spot (or two), but he’s also had the most chances to prove himself to the coaching staff.
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There was a time when Pettis’ path to the 53-man roster appeared written in pencil, at least. That is no longer the case, and the pressure is mounting on him to stand out during training camp.
Otherwise, he might not be able to hang around.
