Goodbye, Richie James Jr. At least for now.
The 49ers have waived James with an injury designation. And to fill his roster spot, they have re-signed River Cracraft, who spent most of the offseason with the 49ers and most likely will get released again when the 49ers make their final cuts, then sign with the 49ers practice squad.
So, nice to see you again, River. I have a feeling you'll be coming and going quite frequently.
James could return to the 49ers as well if he clears waivers. In that case, the 49ers would put him on their Injured Reserve list. And James certainly could clear waivers, considering he'll be out the next six weeks after having knee surgery, plus he had a horrendous offseason during which he dropped more passes than anyone on the roster.
But James still is only 25, and has played well at times despite limited opportunities. He's a big-play receiver who averages 18.1 yards per catch for his career on a team that hasn't had a strong downfield passer until it drafted Trey Lance. James simply is a bad fit for Jimmy Garoppolo, who throws the vast majority of his passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. And James isn't a particularly good fit with Lance, either, because Lance has one of the strongest hands in the league and James can't seem to catch his fastball.
But James could be a good fit on a team with a good downfield passer who also has touch. The Seahawks come to mind -- James would be a good fit with Russell Wilson. The Chiefs also come to mind -- can you imagine Patrick Mahomes launching 70-yard bombs to James?
All it takes is one team to want James, and his tenure with the 49ers will be over.
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