Has Brandon Aiyuk fallen out of favor in 49ers’ pass game?
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.V. — Deebo Samuel had the most yards by a 49ers wide receiver since 2013 in Sunday’s seasonopening win at Detroit. And Brandon Aiyuk had zero yards on no targets.
Despite their disparate 2021 debuts, fivetime Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith, a big fan of both players, is confident they’ll take turns this season sharing starring roles.
“Deebo will ball one game (and) Aiyuk will ball the next,” said Smith, an NFL Network analyst. “Because the defense will have to pick and choose and figure out who they are going to take away.”
But what if head coach Kyle Shanahan keeps taking away Aiyuk’s playing time?
The most surprising part of the season opener — beyond the 49ers nearly squandering a 24-point, fourth-quarter lead against the Lions — might have been Aiyuk’s snap total. The 2020 first-round pick coming off an impressive 60-catch rookie season played 26 of 55 snaps. That was one fewer snap than Trent Sherfield, a 2018 undrafted free agent with 30 career catches. And it was 35 fewer snaps than Aiyuk’s per-game average from his 12-game rookie season.
Shanahan has been queried about Aiyuk in each of his three news conferences since Sunday’s game ended. Shanahan consistently has noted that Aiyuk recently was sidelined with a hamstring injury. However, Aiyuk was not limited in any practice last week and was healthy enough to play nearly half the snaps and also served as their starting punt returner.
Shanahan also repeatedly has said Sherfield, who didn’t miss a practice in the offseason and ranked sixth in the NFL in preseason receiving yards (156), earned the opportunity to steal some of Aiyuk’s snaps in Week 1.
“I know this is all kind of like we’re punishing Aiyuk or something, because Trent got even reps,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “I’m not going to sit here and say, (Aiyuk’s) got to do the A, B and C to get back out there. It’s more that we’ve been practicing the last month and one guy has been there every day and the quarterback’s got a lot of confidence in him. I do (too). If (Aiyuk) wants to be out there every single play, he’s got to be a lot better than the guy behind him.”
Does Shanahan, who viewed Aiyuk as the 2020 draft’s best wideout along with Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb and likened him to Hall of Fame wide receiver Isaac Bruce, really think Sherfield is superior? It’s worth noting that Sherfield also has endeared himself to Shanahan with his approach. Shanahan, a modestly talented walk-on wide receiver at Texas who willed his way to a scholarship, hailed Sherfield’s dogged mind-set in training camp.
“He just goes as hard as he can and doesn’t worry about anything,” Shanahan said. “He practices as hard as anyone out there and just is so aggressive in everything he does.”
Sherfield isn’t the only wideout to earn such praise during this summer. Jauan Jennings, a 2020 seventh-round pick who relishes blocking, also earned kudos for his passion, which Shanahan suggested wasn’t a quality shared by all the 49ers’ wideouts.
“He plays like his hair is on fire,” Shanahan said, “and I think a lot of our receivers can learn from watching him.”
For his part, Aiyuk tailed off after a strong start to training camp, struggling with drops in practices and preseason games. Shanahan was asked Wednesday if he thought Aiyuk “took his foot off the gas pedal” after his strong rookie season. Shanahan began a long answer with “not totally” instead of offering “no.”
Shanahan, of course, repeatedly tried to push ineffective wide receiver Dante Pettis, a 2018 second-round pick, with his public critiques before Pettis was waived last season. Aiyuk is in zero danger of enduring the same fate. His talent was obvious in 2020 when, despite having no offseason program and missing most of training camp with a hamstring injury, the No. 25 overall pick had 60 receptions for 748 yards and seven total touchdowns in 12 games.
Shanahan suggested Aiyuk’s playing time could increase when the 49ers visit the Eagles on Sunday, if he has a strong week of practice.
“Aiyuk’s still got a chance to get that spot and not rotate as much,” Shanahan said. “Trent just doesn’t make that very easy. So these three days are important in practice, how we balance out our game plan, how we balance out our routes. And I’m happy with Aiyuk. It’s nothing against Aiyuk. I’m just also happy with Trent, too.”
Smith, who ranks eighth in NFL history in receiving yards, was aware of Aiyuk’s zero-catch game Sunday and a reduced role that hinted he could be in Shanahan’s doghouse. Smith thinks Aiyuk’s too gifted for that performance to become a pattern.
“All I can tell you is I’ll take a doghouse Brandon Aiyuk over some of these guys that are out there just because you know what you get from him,” Smith said. “He’s explosive. He can take a hitch to the house.”