49ers host WR Jordan Matthews for a workout

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the San Francisco 49ers hosted wide receiver Jordan Matthews for a workout on Monday. The team has been busy with workouts as nine players are on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, but this is the first receiver in awhile. Is this the Niners planning ahead in case Deebo Samuel isn’t healthy enough to return from a hamstring strain? Or could it be the team bracing itself for Brandon Aiyuk not being able to return from the Reserve/COVID-19 list?

The 49ers bringing Matthews in could be independent of that. By now, they know who Matthews the player is. Matthews signed a one-year contract in March of 2019 with the Niners. He was released during the final cuts, was re-signed during the first week of October, then released again later that month. That would not be the final stint for Matthews in the Bay Area. He later signed in December of 2019.

San Francisco may value what Matthews brings on Special Teams. The team currently doesn’t have 53 players on the active roster. If the 49ers go into Sunday short-handed, they’ll want to make sure they can have as few starters on Special Teams as possible, so that’s where Matthews comes into play. During the preseason of 2019, Matthews played on the punt and kick coverage teams, as well as the punt and kick return teams. Matthews played three snaps for the Niners during 2019, but they were all at wide receiver.