Life as a post-contention team comes with a handful of grueling demands. The San Francisco 49ers parted ways with receiver Deebo Samuel and lost two offensive linemen. Safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw both found new homes with the Denver Broncos.
Yet, as the Brock Purdy contract extension looms, San Francisco isn’t out of cap trouble just yet, despite having ample cap space in 2025. That’s by design, and it’s in preparation for the next era of 49ers football.
If it’s going to be a competitive one, San Francisco must find young, cheap talent to contribute at every level of the roster. It’s a task that requires winning the draft and the free agency that follows, as well as finding value on the margins.
Terique Owens, the son of 49ers legend Terrell Owens, is receiving praise at rookie camp as he enters his second NFL season.
“Owens spent most of the 2024 season on the practice squad and therefore was familiar with, and prepared for, [receivers coach Leonard] Hankerson’s routine,” Matt Barrows wrote for The Athletic. “Because of that, he was the tone-setter in Friday’s practice, leading the receivers through the drills.
Owens’ delayed introduction to football is ironic, given his roots, but it lends itself to a longer developmental runway to tap into.
It’s not like he’s without tools. The Missouri State product ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at 6-1, 199, and his jumps were elite, suggesting he has elite athleticism. In his final collegiate season, 528 yards and four scores on just 28 catches for an incredible 18.9 yards per catch.
“Owens is firmly in the ‘players to watch’ category this offseason,” Barrows wrote. “Though he’s the son of pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens, he got a late start with football and the 49ers were betting on his upside when they signed him a year ago. He’ll have the opportunity to prove himself this year.”
With a seemingly safe spot on the practice squad and the opportunity to earn his way onto San Francisco’s roster, Owens will look to combine his athleticism with his one year of NFL experience to follow in his father’s footsteps and play on Sundays.
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