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The Athletic's Matt Barrows singled out Jacob Cowing's third-year emergence as the most intriguing subplot of the San Francisco 49ers' 2026 offseason, with the speedy wideout drawing praise this spring after two injury-shortened seasons.
Barrows noted Cowing, who likely enters deep down the depth chart, has been one of the standouts of the spring. The receiver says he now understands how to manage the ailments that limited him early in his career.
San Francisco took Cowing in the fourth round (No. 135 overall) out of Arizona in 2024, betting on a player who finished his college career with 268 catches for 4,477 yards and 27 touchdowns across stints at UTEP and Arizona. His NFL production has yet to reflect that pedigree, though. As a rookie, Cowing caught just four passes for 80 yards across 15 games while also handling 28 punt returns for 245 yards. A far more promising Year 2 never got off the ground after a hamstring injury during training camp landed him on injured reserve, wiping out his entire 2025 season.
Now healthy, Cowing enters a crowded but retooled receiver room behind free-agent addition Mike Evans, veteran Christian Kirk and 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall, with second-round rookie De'Zhaun Stribling also in the mix. Head coach Kyle Shanahan made clear this spring he's encouraged by what he's seen from his returning young wideouts, especially Cowing and 2025 fourth-rounder Jordan Watkins.
"They all came back healthy," Shanahan said. "I was really excited how Jordan and Jake came back, though. You could tell they came back — it wasn't just healthy. You could tell they've been putting work in ... They've come here, to me, to play and work."
With Evans, Kirk and Pearsall projected as the top three targets, Cowing's clearest early path to snaps may come through special teams and a complementary role. But if his health holds, the tools are there for him to push for more.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers insider spotlights team's biggest offseason wild card
Continue reading...
Barrows noted Cowing, who likely enters deep down the depth chart, has been one of the standouts of the spring. The receiver says he now understands how to manage the ailments that limited him early in his career.
San Francisco took Cowing in the fourth round (No. 135 overall) out of Arizona in 2024, betting on a player who finished his college career with 268 catches for 4,477 yards and 27 touchdowns across stints at UTEP and Arizona. His NFL production has yet to reflect that pedigree, though. As a rookie, Cowing caught just four passes for 80 yards across 15 games while also handling 28 punt returns for 245 yards. A far more promising Year 2 never got off the ground after a hamstring injury during training camp landed him on injured reserve, wiping out his entire 2025 season.
Now healthy, Cowing enters a crowded but retooled receiver room behind free-agent addition Mike Evans, veteran Christian Kirk and 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall, with second-round rookie De'Zhaun Stribling also in the mix. Head coach Kyle Shanahan made clear this spring he's encouraged by what he's seen from his returning young wideouts, especially Cowing and 2025 fourth-rounder Jordan Watkins.
"They all came back healthy," Shanahan said. "I was really excited how Jordan and Jake came back, though. You could tell they came back — it wasn't just healthy. You could tell they've been putting work in ... They've come here, to me, to play and work."
With Evans, Kirk and Pearsall projected as the top three targets, Cowing's clearest early path to snaps may come through special teams and a complementary role. But if his health holds, the tools are there for him to push for more.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers insider spotlights team's biggest offseason wild card
Continue reading...
