San Francisco 49ers make wide receiver move to make room for Kendrick Bourne
As the NFL season starts, the San Francisco 49ers deal with many issues in the wide receiver corps. They are dealing with injuries and a suspension in this receiving corps, so they grabbed Kendrick Bourne on a one-year deal worth $5 million to help the depth there. The 49ers are desperate for wide receiver help amid their issues, and bringing Bourne in is a massive help.
Bourne’s signing coincided with the 49ers’ releasing Robbie Chosen from the practice squad, which allowed everything to work. Jauan Jennings’ injury started this domino effect after he hurt his left shoulder this past Sunday in Seattle. Bourne’s signing also reunites him with where he began his NFL career in 2017. The decision to release Robbie Chosen made the most sense in making room for him.
NFL Network reporter and insider Tom Pelissero was among the first to report the news, posting to X: “The #49ers released WR Robbie Chosen off the practice squad.”
The move to release Chosen comes one month after the 49ers signed him. Chosen, formerly Robby Anderson, started his NFL career in 2016 after going undrafted in the NFL Draft. He was a solid receiver at Temple, and in the NFL, he has since bounced around from the Jets, the Panthers, the Cardinals, the Dolphins twice, and the 49ers twice.
In his career, Chosen has played 122 games, caught 380 passes, totaled 5,087 yards, and caught 30 touchdowns. However, it seems like his job is at a crossroads in the NFL. He has shown flashes, but his productivity has taken a nosedive. When you look at that fact, the best he could probably do at this point in his career is a spot on a practice squad around the NFL.
The 49ers’ early-season headaches at wide receiver involve Brandon Aiyuk’s knee injury, Jordan Watkins’s ankle sprain, and Demarcus Robinson’s suspension. It is also worth noting that tight end George Kittle injured his hamstring in Week 1 and will be out multiple weeks.
Ricky Pearsall is the healthiest receiver on the team and desperately needs help around him for the 49ers’ passing game to be successful. They are waiting for some of these players to recover from their injuries.
Texans Planning Bigger Role for Nick Chubb
Expect to see some more Nick Chubb in the Houston Texans' offense after a solid Week 1 showing.
Following Houston's season opener loss vs. the LA Rams, 9-14, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was still impressed by what he saw from Chubb in his debut since signing in June. In all, Chubb finished with 13 carries for 60 yards on the ground, averaging 4.6 yards a carry and leading the way in touches throughout the running back room.
And moving forward into the year, Ryans says he wants to lean on Chubb a bit more in the backfield.
"I think Chubb ran the ball really well," Ryans said in an interview with Texans Radio. "We tried to mix it up with the backs– got Woody some touches, Dameon [Pierce]– we're going to try to lean in with Chubb a little bit more."
"He deserves it. He’s shown that he continues to get better as the game went on. You saw him running stronger, finishing plays in a physical manner. So, we've got to get him going a little bit more, and I think he can really help us."
Chubb has seemingly made a super strong impression in the Texans' building since arriving on his one-year, $5 million deal in the offseason, and without Joe Mixon in the fold as he deals with a foot injury that has placed him on the Injured Reserve for at least the first four weeks of the year, the door has opened for Chubb to have some major responsibility in this scoring unit.
Chubb sits in the Texans' running back room alongside veteran Dameon Pierce, rookie Woody Marks, and team captain Dare Ogunbowale to share the workload with– certainly a group that faced a fair share of questions before the season, of just how the responsibilities would be divided in the backfield.
But, as Chubb continues to prove he's healthy from last season and the most productive guy in the room, Ryans clearly wants to get the ball in his hands in the run game while they deal with Mixon's absence– however long that may be– and bank on his physicality and consistent improvements to be a driving force in their work on the ground.
Chubb has reportedly been consistent and hard-working for the Texans dating back to training camp, has clear respect in the locker room from teammates and the coaching staff, and of course, has a proven track record in the league of being one of the better runners of the football in recent history while at his peak production.
That doesn't mean you won't see guys like Pierce, Marks, and Ogunbowale get some occasional reps their way as well, but if Ryans' comments prove true, we could very well be looking at the start of Chubb being a real bellcow in Houston.
