Following the departure of Ray-Ray McCloud back in 2024 and Deebo Samuel exiting Santa Clara in a trade to Washington this offseason, the San Francisco 49ers will need to fill an opening at punt returner in 2025. While Samuel primarily returned kickoffs, the 49ers cycled through multiple punt returners in 2024. Rookies Jacob Cowing and Ricky Pearsall each got a chance to return punts, while second-year pass catcher Ronnie Bell also was back deep returning punts during the 2024-25 campaign.
Cowing and Pearsall weren’t able to spark San Francisco’s punt return group in their rookie season. Cowing’s punt return long was 30 yards, with Pearsall’s coming in at 20 yards. Cowing
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After multiple issues throughout a disappointing 6-11 season, the San Francisco 49ers made changes to their special-teams unit during the offseason, starting with the addition of a new special-teams coordinator, Brant Boyer. On Thursday, the new 49ers special teams coordinator spoke to members of the media and revealed a potential competition coming to the punt returner group.
Boyer named four players that will compete for the punt returner job, including both Cowing and Pearsall along with veteran Trent Taylor and rookie seventh-round pick Jacob Bergen.
Via @mattbarrows on X:
Bergen was a star punt returner at Montana, earning a first team All-Big Sky conference selection. Begern finished his career at Montana with the FCS record for punt return touchdowns with eight.
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Bergen will have the remainder of San Francisco’s offseason program to make an impression as a punt returner. The 49ers will meet for OTA offseason workouts starting at the end of the month on May 27. Mandatory imnicamp is set to begin on June 10.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers roster: Rookie in mix to start at specialist position