DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 17: Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders #10 of the Denver Broncos in action against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on October 17, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers needed to add a proven wide receiver, and they’ve made a shrewd move to get one in Emmanuel Sanders.
After a morning where the New England Patriots added Mohamed Sanu, the SAn Francisco 49ers one-upped them by landing an even more reliable targert.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and Mike Kllis of 9News, the 49ers have acquired Emmanuel Sanders and a 2020 fifth-round pick from the Denver Broncos for third and fourth-round picks in 2020.
Sanders, in the final year of his contract, was rumored to be on the trade block with multiple teams interested. He has 30 receptions for 367 yards and two touchdowns this season in seven games for the Broncos, which put him second on the team in all three categories.
San Francisco has been thinned a bit by injuries at wide receiver. But Dante Pettis has not emerged as expected, leaving rookie Deebo Samuel as their most productive wide receiver so far this season (15 receptions for 168 yards in five games). Tight end George Kittle leads the team with numbers over double Samuel’s (34 catches for 376 yards).
The Broncos were pretty clearly motivated to move Sanders before next Tuesday’s trade deadline. They apparently wanted to keep him through next Sunday though, if only as an attempt to create urgency and a bigger market of suitors for a deal. But ultimately, 49ers got their way and were able to get Sanders on the timeline they wanted.
Sanders is not a prototypical No. 1 wide receiver, especially now at 32 years old, and the 49ers will still be a fairly run-heavy outfit. But general manager John Lynch has pounced on an opportunity to fill the biggest void on the roster, and it’s actually worth wondering if another move for a wide receiver will be coming over the next week.