San Francisco 49ers: Pros and cons of signing Dez Bryant

Talk of Dez Bryant signing with the San Francisco 49ers persists, here we weigh up the pros and cons of a potential move for the former Dallas Cowboy.

The San Francisco 49ers appear to be well stocked at the wide receiver position, but talk of them potentially adding Dez Bryant to the mix persists.

Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman wrote recently that he believes Bryant will “get his wish” in wanting to play for the 49ers, the former Dallas Cowboy wideout having previously indicated on social media that San Francisco is his preferred destination.

Whether Bryant would be a useful addition to the Niners roster has been the subject of much debate, and here we look at the pros and cons of the 49ers possibly inking him to a deal.

Pros

His age

Yes Bryant is 29, and will turn 30 during the 2018 season, but he is still younger than the 49ers’ current No. 1 receiver, Pierre Garcon. A skilled route-runner who excels at hauling in contested catches and has shown he can still stretch the field, Garcon is a very valuable asset in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

Yet he will also be 32 by the time the season starts and the 49ers are tied to him for three more seasons after that.

There is good reason to believe the Niners want to keep a veteran presence in a receiving room that is otherwise relatively young, and it may be an astute move by San Francisco in that regard to add Bryant to the mix as an insurance policy should Garcon’s play fall off to the extent where the 49ers cannot keep him around.

Red Zone Prowess

Even with Jimmy Garoppolo coming in to take the controls of the offense for the final five games, the 49ers ended 2017 punching the ball in on just 47 percent of their red zone possessions, according to Team Rankings.

Bryant definitely has the ability to improve San Francisco’s numbers in that department with his 6-2, 220-pound frame, which gives him a natural advantage in jump-ball situations.

The expectation will be for San Francisco’s red zone numbers to improve with Garoppolo at quarterback for a full season, but even the most ardent Bryant doubter would concede that the 49er quarterback’s hopes of success inside the 20 would be boosted by having a receiver to which he can throw it up and ask to fight for the ball at its highest point.

San Francisco’s lack of tight end emphasis

The problem many have with Bryant potentially becoming a Niner is that most believe it would force a younger receiver off the roster. However, a look into the 49ers’ offensive personnel grouping frequency for 2017 suggests otherwise. San Francisco only ran multiple tight end sets on 17 percent of snaps last year, per Sharp Football. With that number being so low, and multi-faceted fullback Kyle Juszczyk also in the mix in a H-back type role, the Niners do not necessarily need to carry three tight ends on the roster.

They may perhaps want to for added insurance but, were Bryant to become a 49er, there is reason to believe that it could be at the expense of a tight end, rather than a wideout, allowing the Niners to keep hold of their young talent at the latter position.

Cons

Young WRs could still lose snaps

While there is a scenario in which the 49ers add Bryant but also keep the fledgling wideouts on their roster, there does not appear to be one where he would not eat into their snaps. Coming from a Cowboys team where he was the unquestioned top receiver, Bryant would likely command a high percentage of snaps, possibly hindering the development of Dante Pettis, Kendrick Bourne, Trent Taylor and Richie James.

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Bourne and, to a greater extent, Taylor impressed in their rookie years, the former possessing the size to be a red zone threat as well as enough speed to make plays in the open field. Meanwhile the 49ers thought highly enough of Pettis to take him in the second round, having caught the eye with his speed, route-running and ability to make contested grabs at Washington.

That collection of players could all grow into long-term assets on offense, taking their snaps away to give to a veteran on the downswing who is likely to only be a short-term option is tough to justify.

He’d be behind the 8-ball

Should Bryant sign with the 49ers then he will of course be behind every other player on the offense in terms of learning the Shanahan offense, which is one of the most complex schemes in the NFL.

It, therefore, seems unlikely that Bryant would be able to build up a quick rapport with Garoppolo going into the new season. Additionally, Bryant’s route tree has long since been considered limited, a deficiency that would seemingly severely limit his odds of success in an offense as meticulous and challenging as Shanahan’s.

He’s in decline

Of all the reasons not to sign Bryant, one stands out. He is in decline. As his physical gifts have waned, Bryant has found explosion and separation harder to come by, and he has not topped 1,000 receiving yards in any of the last three seasons.

With the exception of Garcon, all of the receivers expected to be on the depth chart next season have plenty of room to improve. The days of Bryant getting better are gone.

Next: NFL 2018: Top Rookie of the Year candidate for each team

The 49ers have identified young, promising receivers who fit their scheme and who should continue to make strides in 2018. They do not need Bryant, but he most certainly needs them. Bryant is an exciting name but to the 49ers would be little more than a luxury who is more likely to hinder than help their cause in the coming campaign.