The San Francisco 49ers have made a couple big moves. The team announced roster cuts on Sunday, releasing Busta Anderson and Erik Pears. They also made a trade, involving an unexpected option. Adam Schefter is reporting the team traded offensive guard Brandon Thomas to the Detroit Lions for wide receiver Jeremy Kerley. The 49ers have not announced the move yet.
The Pears move is not shocking given the added depth, but I know a lot of fans were clamoring for this. Anderson never quite emerged as a tight end option. He entered the league with a ton of potential, but injuries had slowed him down.
The 49ers have some depth at offensive line and a need at wide receiver. That being said, given Brandon Thomas’s slip down the depth chart, I am surprised they were able to get a potential contributor like Kerley. The wide receiver was a fifth round pick in 2011, and is coming off a 2015 season in which he caught 16 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. His best seasons came in 2012 when he caught 56 passes for 827 yards.
Here is a scouting report on Kerley back in 2011. We’ll get more from our Jets blog:
STRENGTHS
Kerley explodes off the line and reaches top speed instantly. Possesses very reliable hands and quickly secures the ball. Has fluid hips and great lateral agility which makes him very difficult to tackle in the open field. Shows good vision as a return man and has the quickness to exploit seams. Willing run blocker.
WEAKNESSES
Lacks the top end speed to stretch the field at the next level. Does not run refined routes and struggles to find soft spots in zone coverage. Gets sloppy with his footwork at times and loses momentum in and out of his breaks. He is undersized and will be pushed around by bigger cornerbacks on the press.