Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Jayden Reed

Tuesday, July 22, 2:37 PM

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch says the team is "encouraged" about wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's (knee) recovery from the ACL and MCL tears that ended his 2024 season last October. However, Aiyuk is "not anywhere close to having a concrete timeline" to return to practices, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Aiyuk was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list on Friday, which means he can theoretically be activated at any point this offseason. Nevertheless, previous reporting has indicated Aiyuk is unlikely to be ready to go for the start of the regular season. In his absence, San Francisco will rely more heavily on receivers Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Demarcus Robinson, and Jacob Cowing. Rookie fourth-round wideout Jordan Watkins could also get more of a look in camp.

Monday, July 28, 3:37 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed worked with the starters in two-WR sets during practice on Monday, according to Andy Herman of the Pack-A-Day podcast. That's a rarity for Reed, who totaled a meager 33 snaps in two-receiver sets during his first two seasons in the league. Despite somewhat limited usage, the former second-round pick from Michigan State still averaged around 60 catches, 85 targets, 825 yards, and seven touchdowns from 2023-24. While Reed does have issues with drops (he had 10 last year), he'd have significant upside if he were to accrue more snaps opposite Romeo Doubs. One potential problem for Reed is that the role may go to Matthew Golden, Green Bay's first-round pick in this year's draft.