The 49ers are heading headfirst into a brick wall, being unable to shake off the injury list that has hit their WR room. To begin with, Brandon Aiyuk is out until at least Week 6, a blow Kyle Shanahan openly acknowledges. Veteran Demarcus Robinson is likely sidelined as reports of an upcoming league suspension have emerged after pleading no contest to a DUI charge. The training camp looks like a ghost town, and Shanahan is scrambling to hand out media updates about his injured players.

“I always just plan for the worst and hope for the best,” Shanahan said. Now, with key weapons gone, that mindset may be the only thing holding his game plan together. Up until August 12, the 49ers’ wide receiver room looked battered but manageable. Then came the blow of Jordan Watkins’ high ankle sprain, sidelining him for about a month. Watkins had commanded attention in his exhibition debut against Denver with a 50-yard grab and 39 snaps in his first NFL action. An MRI changed the outlook, forcing Kyle Shanahan to reevaluate.

Monday’s practice saw the team without Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Jacob Cowing, and Watkins, a group projected to make up two-thirds of the regular-season depth chart. Ricky Pearsall now stands as the only top-six wideout healthy enough to work and on track for Week 1.

The shortage has sparked the obvious question. Do the 49ers need to sign a receiver? NFL analyst Chase Senior voiced the concern on X, saying, “The 49ers wide receiver situation is in flux and it’s a problem.” The numbers at camp are so thin that, as Senior noted, “they couldn’t even conduct one-on-one drills.” The franchise still lacks a true WR1, and the makeshift additions have been more about filling bodies than filling roles. Senior asked the question every fan is now pondering: “Is it getting to a point where San Francisco needs to sign a legitimate wide receiver?”

Senior named the top free agents available. “Top free agent WR available:” The list reads: Amari Cooper, Gabe Davis, Nelson Agholor, Tyler Boyd, Odell Beckham Jr. Cooper, at 31, is coming off his worst NFL season, posting just 44 catches, 547 yards, and four touchdowns across 14 games split between Cleveland and Buffalo. His 3.1 receptions and 39.1 yards per game paint a grim picture, but his veteran presence could stabilize a crumbling unit. While not the answer at WR1, Cooper could still provide badly needed reliability.

Shanahan acknowledged the challenge on the depth chart. “There are possibilities later that are guaranteed, but there’s lots of things that are tied to that. Who’s available, how much they’re available for and the situation our team is in salary cap wise and what we can do,” he said. The coach stressed avoiding panic moves that could hurt the team later this season or next. Meanwhile, the 49ers tried out Jalen Camp, Frank Darby, Kwamie Lassiter, and Malik Turner on Tuesday. For now, frustration simmers in the locker room as the WR room continues to thin.

Kyle Shanahan is grappling with a medical chart of injuries

Even though Brandon Aiyuk and Jordan Watkins are set for a return, it remains a big “if.” Brock Purdy voiced his frustration in a CBS Sports interview with Kwinna Martin. “I mean, obviously, as a quarterback, what matters most is, you know, offseason, OTAs, camp, you know, getting the routes on there, competing against the defense with the guys that, obviously, are going to be throwing the ball to in season. So it can be frustrating, you know, when guys are dealing with, you know, little injuries and things like that.” For Purdy, timing and chemistry are slipping away before the season even starts.

The latest practice reports read like an injury roll call. Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos is out with a knee injury for at least another week. Running back Ameer Abdullah’s rib injury has placed him on IR, ending his 2025 campaign before it started. Cornerback Upton Stout is nursing a calf issue with hopes of returning for joint practices with the Raiders. Cornerback Renardo Green’s hamstring will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future. Even Shanahan can see the roster’s depth evaporating before his eyes.

Other names only deepen the concern. Christian McCaffrey is still under careful management after a 2024 season in which he hit IR twice. One stint came before preseason, the other ended his year in December. Shanahan has trimmed his workload to keep him ready for Week 1. But another trip to IR could unravel what little offensive stability remains. Add quarterback Kurtis Rourke, safety Malik Mustapha, and multiple first-stringers to the list, and the puzzle pieces for 2025 grow fewer.