49ers urged to add 5-time Pro Bowl WR to help Brock Purdy

Billy Heyen

49ers urged to add 5-time Pro Bowl WR to help Brock Purdy image

The San Francisco 49ers have put all their eggs in the Brock Purdy basket.

Now, their task is to surround him with as many weapons as possible.

SI's Grant Cohn wants them to use that mandate and sign Amari Cooper out of free agency.

"The 49ers definitely could use a wide receiver who creates separation," Cohn writes. "That's not exactly Jauan Jennings, who was their leading receiver last season.

"Considering all the cap space the 49ers currently have, they should sign Cooper to a one-year deal and have a wide receiver competition."

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Cooper split last season between the Browns and Bills after Buffalo acquired him midseason. 

It was his worst full season in the NFL, catching 44 passes for 547 yards in 14 games.

Just the season before, Cooper had put up 1,250 yards in Cleveland.

He has seven 1,000-yard seasons in an NFL career that began in Oakland and also included the Cowboys.

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Cooper will turn 31 years old in June, but he's one of the best contested-catch makers in the NFL even now.

Purdy would love a veteran who he can just count on to make plays in tight spaces.

The 49ers are facing some Brandon Aiyuk injury uncertainty and have Jennings and Ricky Pearsall among their returning receivers.

Cooper certainly wouldn't be a bad addition to their depth chart.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle