Veteran Mohamed Sanu joining the 49ers to add depth at wide receiver

Short on pass catching depth due to injuries, the 49ers have reportedly brought in a veteran wide receiver to lend a hand — or in this case, hands.

San Francisco is signing Mohamed Sanu to a one-year deal. The news was reported on Twitter by Sanu’s agent, Mike McCartney. Sanu retweeted stories about his signing and shared the news on his Instagram story.

The 31-year-old receiver, entering his ninth NFL season, was released by New England earlier this month. The Patriots acquired him from the Atlanta Falcons for a second-round draft pick last season. Between the two clubs in 2019, Sanu totaled 59 receptions for 520 yards and two touchdowns.

For his career, he’s played in 118 regular-season games and has 403 catches for 4,507 yards and 26 scores. He’s also rushed for two TDs, both coming in the 2015 season with the Cincinnati Bengals, who selected the former Rutgers star in the third round of the 2012 draft.

The 49ers have dealt with injuries to their pass catchers during training camp that bled over to Week 1. Their recent first-round pick, receiver Brandon Aiyuk, missed more than two weeks with a hamstring strain and was ruled out shortly before Sunday’s 24-20 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Receiver Deebo Samuel was placed on injured reserve due to a Jones fracture to his foot suffered in June. Now their All-Pro tight end George Kittle is dealing with a knee sprain and will not practice this week.

Sanu has history with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons in 2016. Atlanta made it to Super Bowl LI that season but lost to the Patriots in the NFL’s only title game to go into overtime.

This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 5:02 PM.