Jordan Watkins

Watkins sits at WR5 with target share trending down across his last two games, and San Francisco used a 2026 second-round pick on De'Zhaun Stribling, who has already climbed past him into a starting-caliber role.

A game missed this season was a coach's-decision inactive rather than an injury, signaling a staff-level trust or performance gap rather than availability being the limiting factor.

A high-ankle sprain and a separate calf injury slowed his rookie camp and season debut in 2025, and durability remains an open question as he tries to climb a crowded depth chart.

Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk both carry recent durability concerns, and Watkins sits ahead of fellow depth piece Jacob Cowing on the chart, leaving him a plausible next-man-up path if either starter misses time.

Position coach commentary from camp described him playing faster and making plays over the middle in his second offseason in the system, a modest positive signal on development even though it hasn't yet translated to regular-season usage.