SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jauan Jennings needs 77 receiving yards Sunday to reach 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, and he just happens to have a close rapport with the quarterback who can get him there.
He and Joshua Dobbs, who this week was named the starter for the San Francisco 49ers’ finale against the Arizona Cardinals, spent two seasons together at the University of Tennessee. Dobbs, 29, who is two years older, has said Jennings’ first college season was a lot like his early years with the 49ers. That is, he was known as the guy who would block opponents all the way to the sideline and into the Gatorade containers.
By his second year, Jennings became one of Dobbs’ favorite targets, especially when the team needed a gritty first down on third and long. Jennings finished with 580 yards that season, which was Dobbs’ senior year. One of those touchdowns was a 43-yard Hail Mary to beat Georgia.
“He came in as a quarterback, kind of like my understudy,” Dobbs noted of Jennings’ introduction to college football. “And now watching him make plays on Sundays at receiver and really growing into the role of, ‘I’m Jauan Jennings, a No. 1 receiver in the NFL,’ it’s been really cool.”
The two have remained tight since. Jennings noted that he and Dobbs worked out in the Dallas area during the offseason. Asked if he’ll pull Dobbs aside and remind him he needs 77 yards on Sunday, Jennings smiled
“I hope he knows,” he said. “We’re just gonna play the game, see where it gets me.”
Said Dobbs: “He’s gonna put some pressure on me, for sure. Hopefully, we can take care of that early in the game. But, yeah, I know that’s a big milestone for him. He’s put in a lot of work.”
Jauan Jennings’ hair has gone from green to red and his cleats have gone from red to green. The 49ers’ WR needs 77 yards Sunday to reach 1,000 for the first time in his career.
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— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows.bsky.social) January 2, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Jennings had a season-low one catch for 13 yards against the Cardinals in October, a game in which fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk was targeted 12 times and finished with 147 yards.
Jennings, however, is now in Aiyuk’s top-receiver role. And he has one more advantage in the upcoming game: The 49ers’ play caller also is well aware of where Jennings stands in pursuit of 1,000 yards. In fact, Kyle Shanahan knew he needed 77 yards when asked about the milestone on Wednesday.
“I’ll keep that (number) down,” Shanahan said. “I’m sure Jauan will tell me too. But yeah, you always want to do that stuff for guys.”
Shanahan did note that it’s possible to go overboard in force feeding a player. In last year’s meaningless finale, the Los Angeles Rams were intent on getting their top receiver, Puka Nakua, the rookie record for catches and receiving yards. In a game in which both teams sat their starters, Nakua was still playing in the third quarter when he got the records.
“I know they wanted to get him in and out,” Shanahan said. “So we were doing everything we could to deny him the ball. I remember he came to the sidelines on like a one-yard gain and I told him, I was like, ‘Yeah, Sean’s (McVay) going to have to play you to the end of this game because we’re not giving you your record.’ And he just laughed and I laughed at it.”
Odds and ends
• The 49ers, who had nine Pro Bowlers last season, had four this year, another reflection of how far they fell from 2023. The four this year:
- DE Nick Bosa
- FB Kyle Juszczyk
- TE George Kittle
- LB Fred Warner
In addition, defensive end Leonard Floyd, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, quarterback Brock Purdy and tackle Trent Williams were voted in as alternates.
Williams has said he’s eying a 12th Pro Bowl selection to move him ahead of fellow tackles Anthony Muñoz, Jonathan Ogden and Willie Roaf who, like him, have 11. He’ll have to return next season to do so.
• The biggest snub? That might go to Lenoir, who plays both outside and nickel cornerback and who hasn’t allowed a touchdown this season. Quarterbacks have a 72.6 passer rating when targeting Lenoir, which is lower than that of the four NFC cornerbacks voted into the Pro Bowl.
- Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks, 93.4
- Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers, 91.4
- Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears, 82.6
- Byron Murphy, Minnesota Vikings, 78.0
• Kittle (ankle, hamstring) and Isaac Yiadom (pelvis) were back at practice Thursday after missing Wednesday’s session. But there were a host of absences, including defensive ends Bosa (knee), Floyd (shoulder) and Robert Beal Jr. (ankle), tackles Colton McKivitz (knee) and Spencer Burford (calf), Purdy (elbow), Lenoir (shoulder), receiver Deebo Samuel (wrist, ribs) and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf).
• The writers who cover the 49ers voted Kittle the winner of this year’s Garry Niver Award, which goes to the player who’s most helpful and professional with reporters. Kittle stood out in a disappointing season for the 49ers because his answers were reliably colorful and interesting. While other players declined to discuss De’Vondre Campbell’s surprising exit from a Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Kittle didn’t shy away from sharing how he felt.
“Whatever his decision was, it wasn’t for this organization, it wasn’t for this team,” Kittle said. “And that’s on him. I’m not very happy about it. I wish I would’ve heard about it on the field, but I didn’t.”
• Cornerback Charvarius Ward is back at practice this week after missing Sunday’s game for the birth of his son. Charvarius Jr. arrived four weeks early but is in good health, the cornerback said Thursday.
• Perhaps due to the injuries at defensive end, the team signed edge rusher Tarron Jackson to the practice squad. Jackson entered the league as a sixth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 and has appeared in 24 games for the Eagles and Carolina Panthers. He has one sack, which came during his rookie season.
(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
