Wide receivers the Redskins could consider trading for after Kelvin Harmon’s injury
1. Dante Pettis, San Francisco 49ers
During his rookie season, 2018 second-round pick Dante Pettis looked like he was poised to be a future solid starter for the 49ers. He totaled 27 catches for 467 yards and five touchdowns and was in the running to be the No. 1 receiver for the team.
However, throughout the 2019 offseason and season, Pettis fell out of favor with Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers head coach openly criticized Pettis and said that he wouldn’t get as many opportunities if he didn’t earn them.
That turned out to be the case. Pettis ended up playing just 82 snaps on the year after Week 7. He dealt with some injury issues that sidelined him at times, but he was ultimately a healthy scratch during the playoffs and in the Super Bowl.
Pettis finished his second NFL season with just 11 catches, 109 yards, and two touchdowns. And now, there are questions about whether or not he will even make the team in 2020.
The 49ers have plenty of young receiver talent on the roster with upside. In 2019, they invested Day 2 picks in Deebo Samuel, who became their top receiver, and Jalen Hurd, who spent his rookie season battling injuries. And in 2020, they drafted two more receivers: first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk and seventh-round pick Jauan Jennings. Add in Kendrick Bourne and a healthy Trent Taylor to the mix, and the 49ers will have a choice to make about their receiving corps.
If Pettis is on the outs with Shanahan, the 49ers could pull the plug and trade the former second-round pick for whatever they can get. The 6-1, 195-pound Pettis still has plenty of upside and is only 25, so a team like Washington could take him on in the hopes that he can become a reliable No. 2 receiver across from Terry McLaurin. Or, he could be a high-upside backup. Either way, he has value since there’s a couple of years left on his rookie contract.
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Perhaps dangling a fifth or sixth-round pick could entice the 49ers to part with Pettis. San Francisco and Washington did recently pull off a trade involving Trent Williams, so seeing them strike another deal wouldn’t be all too surprising. We’ll see if Pettis can gain any traction, but he’s definitely the top player that should be on Washington’s radar.