​Matt Barrows of The Athletic highlighted Jacob Cowing’s third-year breakout as the most intriguing subplot of the San Francisco 49ers’ 2026 offseason, praising the speedy wideout this spring after two seasons cut short by injuries. Barrows pointed out that Cowing, who likely sits deep on the depth chart, has stood out throughout the spring. The receiver himself says he now has a better grip on how to manage the injuries that hampered him early in his professional career. If that assessment is accurate, he should bring a much-needed burst of vertical speed that was conspicuously missing a season ago. Cowing may well be the team’s fastest player, possesses strong ball skills, and is the leading candidate to handle punt returns in 2026.
The 49ers selected Cowing in the fourth round (No. 135 overall) out of Arizona in 2024, wagering on a player who finished his college career with 268 catches for 4,477 yards and 27 touchdowns across stints at UTEP and Arizona. Yet his NFL production has not yet matched that pedigree. In his rookie season, Cowing managed just four receptions for 80 yards across 15 games, while also handling 28 punt returns for 245 yards. A much-anticipated Year 2 never truly materialized after a hamstring injury during training camp put him on injured reserve, wiping out the entire 2025 season.
Now that he’s healthy, Cowing enters a wide receiver room that is crowded but revamped, behind free-agent addition Mike Evans, veteran Christian Kirk, and 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, with second-round rookie De’Zhaun Stribling also in the mix. Head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed clear optimism about the returning young receivers this spring, with particular praise for Cowing and 2025 fourth-rounder Jordan Watkins. “They all came back healthy,” Shanahan said. “I was really excited how Jordan and Jake came back, though. You could tell they came back — it wasn’t just healthy. You could tell they’ve been putting work in … They’ve come here, to me, to play and work.”
With Evans, Kirk, and Pearsall projected as the top three targets, Cowing’s clearest initial path to playing time may come through special teams roles and a supplementary position in the offense. But if his health holds, the talent and tools are there for him to push for a more significant role as the season unfolds. The article originally appeared on Niners Wire under the headline: 49ers insider spotlights team’s biggest offseason wild card, a piece written to enhance search optimization.