49ers waive WR Marqise Lee; sign WR Bennie Fowler to a one-year deal

Last Friday, wide receiver Marqise Lee had a successful tryout with the 49ers at their rookie minicamp and would go on to sign a one-year deal with the team. That lasted less than a week as the Niners waived Lee Friday afternoon to make room for wide receiver Beenie Fowler.

Either Lee had an undisclosed injury or felt like Fowler is a better fit on the roster. I supposed both can be true, but there were articles and segments during this past week asking not only if Lee would make the roster but if he would be the team's WR3.

Fowler has been in the NFL since 2015, where he was an undrafted free agent from the Broncos. He spent three seasons in Denver before playing two years with the Giants and appearing in five games last season with the Saints.

Fowler’s career year came in 2017, where he had 29 receptions for 350 yards. Per Sports Info Solutions, his best year per “total points earned” came in 2019 with the Giants. He’s trended in the right direction from ‘16 to ‘19, which is a good sign if you want to be optimistic.

Fowler has always played on special teams, which is likely the real reason he’s on the roster. Fowler has planed on both kick and punt coverages for each team he’s played for. If Fowler ends up being more than a camp body, that’ll likely be his contributions for San Francisco.