49ers Adding WR Reinforcements Amid Deebo Samuel Injury

The San Francisco 49ers have struggled to field a healthy wide receiver room pretty much every game this season.

San Francisco started the season with Ricky Pearsall on season-ending injured reserve after having surgery to fix a PCL injury.

Rookie wideout De’Zhaun Stribling suffered a brutal deltoid injury in the season opener that will keep him out until at least Week 111, if not longer. And over the last few weeks, Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel have suffered injuries that will keep them out for multiple games.

And don’t forget Mike Evans, who’s suffered an injury in each of the last three games and is seemingly always questionable heading into a new week.

But there is some good news for 49ers fans as the team is about to add a wide receiver who could help ease the burden on the few healthy WRs San Francisco has left.

“49ers opened the practice window for WR Christian Kirk, who has been on injured reserve all season due to a calf injury,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted on X.

Kirk signed with the 49ers during free agency but he has yet to play a regular-season snap after getting placed on IR during the preseason.

The 29-year-old has been hampered by injuries over the last two seasons, but when healthy, he can be a difference-maker. Kirk posted a career-best 84 catches, 1,108 yards, and eight touchdowns back in 2022, and he’s had 780 or more yards and 57 or more catches in three of his last five seasons.

Kirk would effectively fill the WR2 role vacated by Samuel, and once Samuel returns he could slide into the WR3 position. Best-case scenario for San Francisco would be to get Evans, Samuel, Kirk, and Stribling all healthy at the same time.