At first glance, Jauan Jennings turning down a trade back to San Francisco looks like a snub. The 49ers reportedly worked out a framework with Minnesota that depended on Jennings telling the front office he wanted to come back. According to reports, he said no and chose to stay with the Vikings.

My take is that the 49ers got lucky.

Too Many Similar Players

Look at who the Niners would have been lining up. Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Jennings and George Kittle are all big, physical players who win with strength, hands and yards after the catch. That group has plenty of toughness and plenty of ways to move the chains. The problem is that none of them is a pure burner. Add Jennings and you have a very strong receiver room that would struggle to stretch the field.

I’d argue San Francisco is already short on speed, and I wouldn’t make it worse by adding another receiver who works the same way.

Jennings Would Have Cost Stribling Snaps

The other issue is playing time. De’Zhaun Stribling is a rookie the front office spent a No. 33 pick on, and he needs reps, especially once he’s fully healthy. Jennings would have been a veteran with a long history in this offense and a clear claim on snaps. That kind of crowding would take targets and playing time from the player the team should want to develop, and the coaching staff might have defaulted to the familiar name.

If any WR is being added and would demand snaps and targets away from Stribling, it better be Jets Garrett Wilson or Colts Josh Downs.

Deep Speed Matters

Demarcus Robinson showed what the offense is missing in Week 1 against the Rams. He had only two catches, but they went for 50 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown that came on a play where the defense had to respect him downfield. That kind of threat opens up everything else, including the underneath routes and the run game.

Jennings is a very good possession receiver. He caught 210 passes for 2,581 yards and 22 touchdowns in five seasons in San Francisco. But he’s not that type of player, and this season he has just four catches for 43 yards in Minnesota’s offense. That’s no longer a game-changing role.

Now the Search Continues

Since Jennings isn’t coming back, the 49ers can keep looking for a receiver with real separation and speed on his routes. That’s the target I wrote about last Friday with Garrett Wilson, and there may be others who fit better. The Nov. 10 deadline is close, and an idea that was ruled out for the wrong reasons isn’t a loss.

Bottom Line

A Jennings, 49ers reunion doesn’t fix the real problem of the lack of speed and route running separation. The fact that Jennings declined takes the injured WR room solution off the table, and that might be the best thing that could happen for the Niners this week.