Jacob

Cowing

The team now has 21 days to observe Cowing in practice before officially activating him from injured reserve. The move comes at the right time. 49ers WR Ricky Pearsall aggravated his knee injury in Week 17 and was unable to play in Week 18. Cowing is not a full-on replacement for Pearsall, if the latter player remains sidelined, but having another wide receiver available is at least mildly helpful. The team also signed LB Milo Eifler to a reserve/future contract.

The Niners continue to push back the return for Aiyuk, who is still working his way back from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in 2024. 49ers general manager John Lynch said last week that the team still plans to get Aiyuk on the field at some point this season, but the timeline for his return remains a mystery. In addition to Aiyuk, the Niners also said they won’t be opening Jacob Cowing’s return window until after their Week 14 bye. Cowing has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.

He’ll miss at least the first four games of the season. Cowing dealt with problems in the hamstring throughout training camp and ultimately won’t be able to take advantage of a golden chance while Brandon Aiyuk is out early in the season. The 49ers re-signed P Thomas Morstead to take Cowing’s spot on the roster.

Cowing strained his hamstring in practice last month. Just as he was set to return, he now suffers a setback, having strained his hamstring again in Tuesday’s practice. The 49ers wideout group continues to take hits, with Demarcus Robinson facing suspension and Jordan Watkins (ankle), Brandon Aiyuk (knee), and Jauan Jennings (calf) all out for now. Ricky Pearsall seems to be the only wide receiver slated for targets, but the 49ers may shop around for a veteran to add to the mix.

The hits keep on coming for the Niners, who are expected to be without Brandon Aiyuk (knee) for at least the first month of the season, and are at risk of being without Jauan Jennings (calf) as well. Jacob Cowing is also battling a hamstring injury, although Kyle Shanahan said he could return to practice on Tuesday. Still, it goes without saying that the Niners’ receiver room is banged up, and Watkins had a chance to see some work early in the season with the injuries piling up. It was reported earlier this month that Watkins was ‘in the mix’ for WR3/WR4 duties. A month-long absence means Watkins could be at risk of missing the first month of the season, but we’ll likely get more clarity on that as Week 1 draws closer.

Shanahan lumped CB Renardo Green (hamstring) into the injury update with the same return-to-play target date. Cowing strained his hamstring on July 23. Returning in time for the August 16 game gives the two more than three weeks to rehab the issue. It will cost them valuable practice time, though.

Cowing was a rising star during the 49ers’ spring practices, drawing praise from reporters including The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, who said he could take over some of Deebo Samuel’s vacant gadget touches. Now Cowing will join Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall on the sidelines. Aiyuk is recovering from a torn ACL and isn’t expected to be ready for Week 1. Pearsall is dealing with a lingering hamstring issue but isn’t expected to miss much time. Despite airing his desire for a new contract publicly, Jauan Jennings showed up to practice and fully participated on Wednesday, putting any notions of a “hold-in” to bed. If the 49ers can’t field a healthy receiving corps around him, Jennings will project for a gaudy target share out of the gates.

Cowing boasts 4.3 speed and reportedly added weight in the offseason after weighing in at 168 pounds as a rookie. With Samuel now in Washington and Aiyuk (knee) a candidate to open the season on the PUP list, it’s easy to see an early path for Cowing to earn more opportunities this season. Last year’s first-rounder, Ricky Pearsall, is also expected to see an uptick in targets and Jauan Jennings is coming off a breakout season (77-975-6), but Cowing makes for an interesting late-round target in deeper leagues given the current state of the Niners’ receiving room. Cowing caught 316 passes for 4,477 yards and 33 touchdowns during five college seasons while averaging a solid 6.3 yards after the catch per reception.

After polling coaches, Barrows also noted a theme, indicating “no one took better advantage of the offseason than Cowing.” The 49ers were taking advantage of his speed as a downfield threat this spring, and Barrows suggests Cowing “can run a lot of the gadget plays that went to Deebo Samuel in previous years.” A series of unfortunate events may have to occur for Cowing to climb past the No. 6 spot in the 49ers’ passing game pecking order, but it’s good for his odds of being the player that can step up in case of injury that he’s drawing this kind of praise.

Fourth-round rookie Cowing doubled his previous season production in a game where the 49ers were missing Deebo Samuel and lost Jauan Jennings to a second quarter ejection. A month shy of his 24th birthday, Cowing doesn’t have the worst draft pedigree, but his age and size (5-foot-9) limit his upside even with the future of the receiver position uncertain in San Francisco via Deebo’s contract status and Brandon Aiyuk’s knee injury.