Who Should I Start? Trent Taylor or Ja'Lynn Polk

Wednesday, June 4, 6:35 PM

The San Francisco 49ers announced on Tuesday that they placed wide receiver Trent Taylor (undisclosed) on Injured Reserve and signed receiver Malik Knowles to an undisclosed one-year deal in a corresponding move. It's unclear exactly what Taylor's injury is, but he's now expected to miss the entire 2025 season. The 31-year-old former fifth-round pick (177th overall) in 2017 out of Louisiana Tech spent the first three years of his career in the Bay Area before going to the Cincinnati Bengals for two years and the Chicago Bears in 2023. In just two games in his return to the Niners last season, Taylor caught his only target for an 11-yard pickup. Taylor has been a depth piece in his career and has a total of 88 receptions for 845 yards and only three touchdowns on 138 targets over 80 games played (three starts) since debuting in 2017.

Thursday, August 21, 3:51 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk (shoulder) will miss the entire 2025 season due to a shoulder injury that needs surgery, sources told FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz on Thursday. Polk visited with multiple specialists before opting for season-ending surgery, but going under the knife was determined to be the best course of action. The former second-round pick last year will be hoping to be fully healthy for the start of the 2026 season. Polk disappointed in his first year in New England last year, catching just 12 of his 33 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games (seven starts), but to be fair, he didn't have much of a chance in the Patriots' low-scoring offense. He will now miss his entire sophomore season, which gives rookies Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III greater chances of making the 53-man roster as depth behind Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas.