The mistake machine started for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday vs. the Seattle Seahawks when punt returner Jacob Cowing inexplicably tried to catch a punt with a Seattle gunner bearing down on him. He fumbled. Seattle recovered deep in 49ers territory.
Despite the miscue, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he's not making a change at punt returner.
"No, it wasn't enough," Shanahan said. "It's something that he can't do. Should have caught a fair catch, called a fair catch on it, but no we're not changing his position yet. I thought he did a couple good things in the game too, but nothing right now.”
The 49ers had a heck of a time finding an adequate punt returner in the preseason and Cowing likely sealed the job with a punt return touchdown in the second week of the preseason vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. While he had a bad mistake Sunday, it didn't cost the 49ers the game and it's hard to imagine the 49ers having such a short leash when there's not necessarily a better option on the roster.
Cowing is going to get opportunities to play on offense with so many injuries in the receiving corps, and his job as the punt returner is safe for now. So far on six returns he has just 25 return yards, so the key for him will be playing mistake-free football. As long as he does that it's hard to envision the 49ers moving on any time soon.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers WR won't lose job after bad mistake vs. Seahawks