The article discusses the negative impact of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's absence due to injury on the San Francisco 49ers' offense during the 2024 season. Aiyuk, an exceptional player, had a standout 2023 season but struggled early in 2024 and missed significant time due to a knee injury. His absence was particularly felt in Deebo Samuel's performance, which dropped noticeably without Aiyuk drawing coverage. Despite Samuel's own struggles, the article suggests that Aiyuk's return in 2025 will be beneficial for Samuel and the overall offense.
There's no question that missing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for most of the 2024 campaign contributed to the San Francisco 49ers' offensive issues.
Deebo Samuel had 19 receptions on 30 targets for 310 yards across 231 snaps when playing alongside Brandon Aiyuk. Without Aiyuk, he recorded 32 receptions on 51 targets for 360 yards over 422 snaps.
Without Aiyuk the 49ers never had a receiving threat like him. Jauan Jennings put together an outstanding year in an expanded role, but he didn't force teams to alter their coverages against him the way Aiyuk did.
It's clear he'll benefit at least a little from Aiyuk's eventual return in 2025.
Collection
[
|
...
]