Jul 24, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (in black hoodie) watches his teammates work out during the second day of training camp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Rams Rival Suffers Another Blow to Wide Receiver Room

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 6:00 AM ET

The Los Angeles Rams have eyes on one thing only, and that is their preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. However, the work the Rams put in will be critical towards achieving their goals, one of them being retaining the NFC West title.

In that pursuit, they will have to hold off the San Francisco 49ers. Since 2017, Sean McVay and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan have won seven of the last eight division titles, and Shanahan is as hungry as ever for a Super Bowl.

The problem for the 49ers is that their wide receiver room can't get healthy or make themselves available. Ricky Pearsall has been plagued with injury issues this offseason, Brandon Aiyuk is believed to be so badly hurt, he'll miss the start of the regular season, Jauan Jennings is currently missing practice with injury while demanding either an extension or trade, and Demarcus Robinson is suspended for the first three games of the season.

In order to help out with the problem, the 49ers signed Equanimeous St. Brown, brother of Detroit Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown, signed with the team on Tuesday. He hurt his foot on Thursday in a joint practice against the Denver Broncos, forcing the 49ers to place St. Brown on season-ending injured reserve, per Adam Schefter.

As of writing, the 49ers' projected starting lineup if Jennings continues to be out will be Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.

How does this impact the NFC West?

The impact is immediate on the 49ers. Brock Purdy can ill-afford a poor start after signing a massive extension. At the same time, if the wide receivers can handle the job, extra stress might be put on Christian McCaffery and George Kittle to succeed on offense.

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is rebuilding his once-dominant defense in the Bay with a whole host of rookies. The defense will endure the same growing pains the Rams felt in 2024. I'm not sure San Francisco will be able to bounce back from a slow start like the Rams did considering their performance last season.

The Arizona Cardinals may have a gem with rookie cornerback Will Johnson. If Johnson can shut down the 49ers WR1, that's the opening for their revamped defensive line to cause havoc on the offense. The Cardinals swept the 49ers last season, blowing them out in the regular-season finale.

The Rams take on the 49ers in week five at SoFi.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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