ESPN says Trent Taylor was the MVP of the 49ers training camp

When the San Francisco 49ers announced that Trent Taylor broke his pinky toe a week and a half ago, there was a collective sigh of disappointment. Taylor was the player that Kyle Shanahan described when he said numerous times that he wants one of the wide receivers to separate from the pack. Taylor was the security blanket for Jimmy Garoppolo early on in training camp, and kept the offense ahead of schedule.

ESPN recently did a piece where the beat reporter for each team highlighted the MVP. Here is what Nick Wagoner said:

Yes, Taylor suffered a Jones fracture in his foot last week that will keep him out the rest of the preseason, but the Niners are hopeful he will be back for Week 1. When he does return, the hope is he will pick up where he left off after a training camp that left teammates and coaches raving about his bounce back from an injury-plagued 2018 season. “There seems to be a connection between Jimmy [Garoppolo] and him,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. “And he just seems to just be moving at another speed and just has an incredible feel for space on the field. Many times, it’s just him and Jimmy just kind of improvising.” Don’t be surprised if he leads the team in targets and receptions. -- Nick Wagoner

Juszczyk said what everyone else sees. Garoppolo is comfortable when Taylor is on the field. He trusts Taylor. We made a lot of fuss about his performance on Monday Night, but down his favorite receiver, and two starting interior linemen, you can see why. That doesn’t excuse Garoppolo’s performance, but he’s a different player with Taylor on the field.