The San Francisco 49ers would obviously rather have Deebo Samuel available for Sunday’s rivalry game with the Los Angeles Rams rather than watching from the sideline with a calf strain.
Samuel was excellent in the Week 2 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, finishing with 110 yards, and has a significant track record of shredding the Rams with his abilities as a runner in the open field.
But often with adversity comes opportunity, and a Week 3 matchup without Samuel is set to provide opportunities to several other pass-catchers on the roster.
The 49ers will hope that Brandon Aiyuk gets back to the kind of form that saw him earn a four-year, $120 million extension from San Francisco after a long contract stand-off. Tight end George Kittle will obviously be a featured part of the gameplan without Samuel, while Jauan Jennings will likely receive more targets. Rookie Jacob Cowing could earn his first offensive snaps if Shanahan trusts him enough to get him on the field ahead of the likes of Chris Conley and Ronnie Bell.
But there is also an extremely intriguing talent on the 49ers’ practice squad who is a candidate to be elevated to the active roster for the Rams game in Samuel’s absence.
The 49ers signed Terrace Marshall Jr, a second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in the 2021 draft, to their practice squad following roster cutdown day.
Marshall, a member of the unbeaten LSU team that won the National Championship in the 2019 season, has huge potential that never came close to being realized in Carolina.
Blessed with great size and speed at a little over 6ft 2in and 205 pounds with a 40-yard dash of 4.4 seconds to his name in the pre-draft process in 2021, Marshall entered the league having impressed with his overall route-running ability during his time with LSU.
His physical gifts and the prowess he displayed running routes in college have not translated to NFL success, Marshall’s best season came in 2022 when he had 490 receiving yards and a touchdown. He averaged 10.4 yards per target and 17.5 yards per reception. Per Pro Football Focus, he averaged 5.1 yards after catch per reception that year, ranked tied 26th of 119 receivers with at least 25 targets.
Terrace Marshall is still only 24 years old. pic.twitter.com/sYAkGl0Xt0
— Jason Aponte (@JasonAponte2103) August 28, 2024
An explosive athlete who, in limited highlights with the Panthers, has demonstrated impressive concentration and ability to win at the catch point, as well as some yards after the catch upside, Marshall projects as a strong fit for the 49er offense.
“That’s just a good football player we were very fortunate to get in the building,” said general manager John Lynch said of Marshall last month.
“I don’t know what went on in Carolina. I know that I got on the phone with Terrace, along with [wide receivers coach] Leonard Hankerson and Kyle and just told him about the way we do things, what we thought of him coming out of college and that this could be a great landing spot for him.
“He’s going to have to earn everything, but it’s a fun place for receivers to come and thrive. Whatever your best is, I think you’ll find it here. We’re excited for that opportunity.”
The problem with elevating him in Week 3 would be that Marshall has had limited time to learn the intricacies of the Shanahan offense.
Yet going against an injury-hit Rams team that heads into the game ranked 30th in dropback Expected Points Added per play on defense, there is an argument for giving playing time to a ball winner with higher upside than the likes of Conley and Bell in a matchup in which the 49ers are heavily favored.
San Francisco will certainly not take the Rams lightly simply on account of injuries, but the latest edition of this rivalry could serve as a chance for the 49ers to help Marshall learn the offense on job with at least some snaps. With five receivers still available on the active roster even without Samuel, elevating Marshall isn’t a move they need to make, but it’s an interesting option as they look to develop a talented receiver who is still only 24 years old.