When asked about his teammate Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t hold back in discussing the receiver’s challenges. While San Francisco has yet to see Aiyuk match his 2023 performance.
At an October 3 press conference, Purdy was asked about the fifth-year wideout. The 49ers QB defended Aiyuk, emphasizing the difficulty of his role every time he steps onto the field.
“I mean, I feel like he’s definitely a guy that when defenses are scheming up our offense, they’ve got to circle 11 and know that if you leave him one-on-one, he’s going to be a target at some point in the game. And so, they do their best of clouding, putting a safety over the top and double-teaming him and all that kind of stuff. But you know, for us, that’s football. We still have plenty of opportunities for us to be able to get him the ball and stuff,” Purdy said.
Through four games, Aiyuk has recorded 13 receptions for 167 yards and no touchdowns. Additionally, the San Francisco receiver has had two drops this season.
Could Purdy Be Missing Aiyuk?
Despite Aiyuk’s slow start, one advanced metric suggests that he is still getting open. According to Fantasy Points Data’s “Separation Win Rate” metric, Aiyuk’s Week 3 performance boasts the highest win rate of any player so far this season.
Furthermore, 49ers fans have reason to be optimistic after his two receptions in Week 4 against the New England Patriots. Aiyuk began the game with a 38-yard catch-and-run, which set up San Francisco’s first points.
Later, in the third quarter, when the 49ers faced a potential three-and-out, Aiyuk made a spectacular diving catch on 3rd and 9.
However, Aiyuk has set high expectations for himself over the past two seasons. Along with amassing 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, he now holds a $120 million contract.
49ers Benching Rookie WR
While San Francisco works to get Aiyuk back on track, they are also benching rookie wide receiver Jacob Cowing as a punt returner. Cowing muffed a punt during the Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and has averaged only 5.3 yards per return.
In the Week 4 win over the Patriots, Cowing suffered a shoulder injury, leading to fullback Kyle Juszczyk stepping in to field a punt. Juszczyk impressed head coach Kyle Shanahan by returning the punt for eight yards, and he is now slated to be the starting punt returner going forward.
Shanahan addressed the situation in an October 2 press conference
“I don’t care how good your hands are, but just to get thrown in an NFL game and go catch a punt isn’t very easy. Especially when we’re telling him he hasn’t, all he’s got to do is fair catch it. Kyle doesn’t. He’s very confident, he wants to take his opportunity to try to earn that job and try to break tackles and go after it… He’ll be starting the rest of the year,” Shanahan said.
