49ers should consider signing wide receiver Mohamed Sanu

The San Francisco 49ers should consider signing veteran wide receiver Mohamed Sanu.

The San Francisco 49ers have felt the full force of the injury bug this summer, particularly at the wide receiver position. And with an eye on adding additional depth, the team should consider signing the recently-released Mohamed Sanu.

Sanu wouldn’t be the first veteran receiver the team has targeted in recent weeks — far from it, in fact.

After injuries to the likes of Deebo Samuel, Richie James, and Jalen Hurd, the 49ers went out and signed veterans Tavon Austin, J.J. Nelson, and Jaron Brown. Of those three, only Austin remains on the roster.

However, others such as Kevin White and River Cracraft have joined the team in recent days as well. Simply put, the 49ers’ receiving corps has been a revolving door of NFL rejects, mostly because it’s been forced to be that way.

But while the team has done an adequate job of adding depth, Sanu represents perhaps the most intriguing option yet.

A third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Sanu is an eight-year veteran who’s spent considerable time with both the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons.

Mohamed Sanu’s experience with Kyle Shanahan makes him an ideal target for the 49ers.

Notably, Sanu spent the 2016 season in Atlanta under the tutelage of current 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan where the former Rutgers star put together one of the better years of his career.

Could the two be in for a possible reunion? It makes a lot of sense.

Sanu began the 2019 season in Atlanta but was shipped to the New England Patriots prior to the trade deadline. At the time, the 49ers were reportedly heavily involved in trade discussions for Sanu but ultimately weren’t willing to pay the price.

In hindsight, that was likely a good call. Sanu hauled in just 26 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown in eight games down the stretch with New England looking like a shell of his former self.

And yes, at this point, he’s not the player he used to be. But that doesn’t mean he can’t still provide value to an ultra-thin 49ers’ wide receiver depth chart.

His versatility to play both in the slot and on the outside is valuable as is his experience playing under Shanahan.

And for those reasons, don’t be surprised if this is a move they end up making.