Trent Taylor: I’m back doing all my normal stuff

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Trent Taylor was a popular target for Jimmy Garoppolo during the tail end of the 2017 season. Still, the two didn’t get to relive that chemistry in 2018 when Garoppolo tore his ACL early in the 2018 season. In 2019, it was Taylor who missed the year with a foot injury that plagued him. That was after a promising training camp where Taylor was Jimmy G’s go-to receiver.

Taylor spoke to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, and he’s back to feeling 100% physically. Taylor told Barrows, “I’m back to doing all my normal stuff. I don’t know if you would say that I’m ready to go out and play a football game. I mean, I could if I had to. But mainly, I’m just steadily getting back to normal right now. It feels good. My foot’s able to run routes and make cuts right now. So I’m real happy to be back doing that.”

The group that has been working out with Taylor and catching passes from Garoppolo includes Jalen Hurd and Shawn Poindexter—both returning from injuries and Kendrick Bourne and Dante Pettis. Taylor said it’s more than just running routes. “There’s a lot of talking, learning from the quarterback’s perspective and the receiver’s perspective. So I think it’s real beneficial for us.”

Taylor has had some awful injury luck. He suffered a fractured right foot last training camp, but that was only going to keep him out of the preseason. Five separate surgeries due to infections and the removal and insertion of screws in his foot prevented Taylor from stepping on the field during the regular season.

Poindexter, who tore his ACL, is an intriguing receiver as the 49ers don’t have a true deep threat. They view Shawn as that and are quietly high on the 6’5” wideout. The competition at receiver will be one of the more fun position battles we’ll have.