The injury list just keeps getting longer in San Francisco. Brandon Aiyuk, their top guy, is still recovering from last season’s ACL and MCL nightmare. Add to that Jauan Jennings, sophomore Ricky Pearsall, and Jacob Cowing all dealing with their own issues, and Kyle Shanahan’s wide receiver room looks more like a waiting room. With the preseason creeping in fast, the Niners are dangerously low on options—and the pressure on Purdy and the offense is climbing by the day.

However, then came a big relief for the Bay’s Faithful—rookie wideout Jordan Watkins returned to practice. After sitting out Friday, his absence raised some eyebrows, especially given how tough it already is for first-year receivers to earn a spot in Shanahan’s scheme. Watkins might not be a big name yet, but with bodies dropping left and right, every rep matters. But to make matters worse, the injury bug isn’t just sticking to the receivers. It’s spreading.

“Kyle Juszczyk is also injured, so nearly the entire projected 2025 49ers RB room is injured right now.. except for CMC. Can’t make this stuff up,” FF Injury Analyst Jeff Mueller posted on X. Juszczyk got hurt during a one-on-one drill, grimacing after chasing down a pass against Dee Winters. He ended up pulling off his cleat and sock on the sideline, favoring his right leg. It got serious enough that GM John Lynch walked him off to the weight room himself.

Yet, despite all the chaos, some bright spots are starting to show—and none brighter than Ricky Pearsall and Brock Purdy. Pearsall, banged up or not, made five catches during team drills, four of them from Purdy. As Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area put it, “Pearsall got off to a hot start with a reception on a deep post from Purdy against the coverage of cornerback Dallis Flowers. Three plays later, he hauled in a Mac Jones pass of intermediate depth.”

Even better? Purdy didn’t miss a beat. Matt Barrows of The Athletic confirmed he went 11-for-11 in team drills—including four to Pearsall—and added a clean strike to Christian McCaffrey on a crisp route. But guess what— while the WR room is bruised and battered, a few rookies have quietly stepped up for the 49ers.

Kyle Shanahan’s WR room finally shows signs of life at camp

Thankfully for The Bay’s Faithful, the tide may just be turning for Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. While most expected the 49ers brass to pull the trigger on a trade, the emergence of some lesser-known names might change that. Undrafted rookie Isaiah Neyor is the talk of training camp, going from “a complete unknown to a camp standout,” as Niner Noise put it. Now, with two weeks of camp nearly done, Neyor’s officially on the 53-man radar.

Meanwhile, Jordan Watkins is making sure his shot doesn’t slip away either. The injuries at the top of the WR chart gave him an unexpected chance, and he’s running with it. After missing a day, Watkins came back strong, and as David Lombardi of SF Standard noted, he “hit the ground running.” For a rookie wideout in Shanahan’s system, that’s huge—because every rep counts double in this offense.

Moreover, it helps that Watkins didn’t fall too far behind. He already flashed quality in OTAs, and now he’s stringing together quality days at camp. With the pace Shanahan runs, that kind of consistency is how rookies stay in the room.

So now, with Brandon Aiyuk still sidelined and the depth chart thin, Watkins is stepping into the spotlight alongside Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson. And showing up right after a missed day? That’s just more proof he’s serious about locking in a roster spot.