June 27, 2026, 1:01 a.m. PT<\/p>\n
The San Francisco 49ers<\/a> struggled to move the ball through the air at points during their 2025 campaign, and with Jauan Jennings hitting the market, general manager John Lynch made sure to bring in several new wideouts for Brock Purdy to target in 2026.<\/p>\n While future Hall of Famer Mike Evans and second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling are getting a lot of the attention, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport believes<\/a> that Christian Kirk is set to have a major role this year in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.<\/p>\n “There was a time when Christian Kirk was anything but under the radar\u2014in 2022, the ninth-year veteran topped 80 catches and 1,100 receiving yards and scored eight times,” Davenport wrote. “Three injury-marred seasons later, though, he now finds himself on his third team in as many seasons and trying to resurrect his career after signing with the San Francisco 49ers<\/a> in free agency…<\/p>\n “The passing attack for the 49ers contains a whole lot of ‘maybes’ in 2026\u2014Kirk included. But if the 29-year-old can stay healthy, Kirk should see 100-plus targets for the first time since that career season with the Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>.”<\/p>\n Evans is clearly the top dog in the room, but beyond that, no one is guaranteed a role. If Kirk proves himself in camp, he could be battling Ricky Pearsall for that second spot on the depth chart.<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n