Just a couple of years ago, the San Francisco 49ers looked like the most talented team in football. After making four NFC Championship Games in five years, the 49ers were expected to become the next great NFL dynasty. With a roster equipped with stars like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle, who could stop them?
But the Arizona Cardinals' rival has quickly fallen. After an injury-riddled 2024 in which San Francisco missed out on the playoffs, they seem to be destined for a similar fate this year, due in large part to their weakness at one key position.
49ers weakness at receiver is great news for the Cardinals
Where they were once a defined strength of the 49ers roster, their offensive skill positions are sorely lacking heading into the 2025 season. Star wide receiver Deebo Samuel is gone. Brandon Aiyuk is injured, and he's unlikely to be ready for the early portion of the season.
That leaves a barren shell of a wide receiver group in place of what used to be a true threat.
In his second year in the NFL, Ricky Pearsall is set to be the 49ers' top receiver to start the season. Pearsall missed about a third of the season in 2024 after being shot in the chest last offseason. He's never had to manage the demands of being a primary target in the NFL. He needs every practice rep he can get, but he's already had to sit out of OTAs with a hamstring injury.
Alongside Pearsall, Jauan Jennings is expected to step into a bigger role. Jennings is a fine complimentary receiver, but he has never had to take on this big of a role. Jennings has only surpassed 60 targets once in his four-year career.
Outside of those two, Demarcus Robinson is expected to begin the season as a starter. Especially at this point in his career, it's hard to expect much production out of Robinson.
In recent years, the 49ers' offense has thrived on taking advantage of man coverage by isolating their superior talent and letting those players go to work. Especially at receiver, they've lost that talent advantage.
The window of 49ers dominance in the NFC seems to have closed before it ever truly opened. For rising teams like the Arizona Cardinals, this leaves an opportunity to take control of a more open conference. When the Cardinals and 49ers first face off in Week 3 of the upcoming season, Arizona will need to take advantage of their rivals' weakness.