A year ago, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was effectively forced into relying on his chemistry with wide receiver Jauan Jennings, thanks largely to regression from a previous favorite, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and a slow start/season-ending injury to fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk.
That chemistry worked, as Jennings finished with a career-best 975 yards in spite of a frustrating 6-11 campaign by the Niners.
The Jennings-Purdy rapport may still be important in 2025, but it's becoming clearer the recently paid franchise quarterback has to rely more heavily on San Francisco's top investment from the 2024 NFL Draft, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
So far, so good.
Pearsall, who missed the opening chunk of last year's regular season after suffering a gunshot wound in an attempted robbery that August, nevertheless finished his rookie year on a strong note, netting an exact 400 yards and three touchdowns on 31 receptions over 11 games.
If Purdy and the 49ers offense expect to thrive in 2025 with Samuel no longer in the picture and Aiyuk still rehabbing from his torn ACL and MCL, the signal-caller's connection and chemistry with Pearsall will be vital.
With training camp extending into its final days before the preseason, it appears Purdy and Pearsall have regularly been on the same page, an aspect NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco pointed out after the 11th day of practices:
"Now, there seemingly is no question that second-year wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is the team’s best wideout during camp. Purdy continues to show a lot of trust in Pearsall, and Pearsall has responded. Pearsall led the team with five receptions. Purdy’s first four completions on the day were directed at Pearsall, who caught passes at every level of the 49ers' defense."
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Pearsall seems to have taken advantage of Samuel's offseason departure to the Washington Commanders, as well as Aiyuk's injury-recovery absence. Plus, with Jennings sidelined with what's been reported as a calf issue, there's effectively only one top receiver available to the quarterback's disposal.
Jennings hopefully is available by Week 1, while Aiyuk is expected back midseason. Additionally, offseason free-agent receiver Demarcus Robinson is likely to be suspended three games after pleading "no contest" to a DUI charge from 2024.
In the interim, the Niners have few other established options other than Pearsall.
If Pearsall and Purdy weren't developing that chemistry in camp, there'd likely be some major alarm bells outside of Levi's Stadium leading up to Week 1, especially given the context of the position and relative thinness of other options.
Fortunately, all signs point to Purdy doing everything he can to ensure the second-year pass catcher winds up having a true breakout 2025 campaign.
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