The San Francisco 49ers were the third-best passing offense in the league last year, averaging 249.1 yards per game through the air against their opponents.

However, after trading Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders, losing Chris Conley to retirement, Brock Purdy’s weapons will be different in 2025. It could be even more dramatic at the beginning of the year with Brandon Aiyuk potentially missing the start of the season due to a torn ACL.

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With that, the 49ers will be looking for someone to step up in that room and take over as one of Purdy’s top option. There are a few candidates for that role, including veterans Demarcus Robinson (signed this offseason), Jauan Jennings (looking for a new deal) and Ricky Pearsall.

Interestingly, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur recently identified second-year wideout Jacob Cowing as his pick for San Francisco’s breakout player in 2025.

“Ricky Pearsall is the (too) obvious answer, and he’s coming off an offseason hamstring tweak after missing six games his rookie season,” Tafur wrote. “So give us Cowing, the 5-foot-8, second-year player with 4.3 speed who could take a lot of the departed Deebo Samuel’s gadget plays. The 49ers like his toughness, speed and nose for yards after the catch. Cowing added more weight in the offseason to his once 168-pound frame to handle sweeps and other running plays, and he joined Pearsall to train with quarterback Brock Purdy in Jacksonville and Arizona. He looked sharp at offseason workouts and, with Brandon Aiyuk still sidelined, could carve out an important role at training camp.”

Cowing, 24, played collegiately at UTEP (2019-21) and Arizona (2022-23) and caught 316 passes for 4,477 yards and 33 touchdowns between the stops. The 49ers took him in the fourth round (No. 135 overall) of the 2024 NFL draft, and with Samuel, Aiyuk, Pearsall, Jennings and Conley ahead of him on the depth chart, he didn’t see much action.

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As a rookie, Cowing appeared in 15 games, but he was on the field for just 106 offensive snaps and 64 more on special teams. He caught four passes for 80 yards and ran the ball once for seven yards, and all of those touches came in two games (Week 7 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs and Week 18 vs. the Arizona Cardinals).

San Francisco is desperate for someone to be a reliable wideout for Purdy and head coach/play-caller Kyle Shanahan, and if Cowing can prove himself in training camp, he could set himself up for a large role in 2025.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: WR Jacob Cowing named 49ers’ breakout candidate heading into 2025