The 49ers officially announced the signing of the veteran receiver late Friday morning after his agent revealed earlier in the week Sanu would be joining the team on a one-year deal. Sanu, 31, brings some much-needed depth to a 49ers receiving room that has been decimated by injury and also has the ability to step in and contribute right away after spending a season in Shanahan's system while Shanahan was the offensive coordinator in Atlanta in 2016.
Shanahan expressed confidence earlier in the week in Sanu's ability to help the 49ers against the Jets and on Friday said Sanu will play if the team decides to dress five receivers. The 49ers played just four receivers in their Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday but may have room for more this week, given their injury situations at receiver and tight end.
"If we have five receivers up, he'll be up. We still haven't decided yet with everything going on," said Shanahan. "I know we had four last week but we'll see how it balances out this week."
The 49ers dressed Kendrick Bourne, Dante Pettis, Trent Taylor, and Richie James in their 24-20 loss to the Cardinals while Deebo Samuel (knee) and rookie Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) were sidelined due to injuries. James suffered a hamstring injury against the Cardinals that has since landed him on injured reserve, while Aiyuk seems ready to return to the field and make his NFL debut against the Jets on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the 49ers took another major hit in the pass-catching department against the Cardinals when tight end George Kittle hurt his knee during a hit from safety Budda Baker. Kittle has been declared out for Sunday's game against the Jets, which may increase the chances of Sanu being in uniform after the 49ers dressed four tight ends against the Cardinals.
If the 49ers need to call upon Sanu this week, Shanahan feels he'll be ready, even after just one practice.
"He's been in the Zoom meetings watching all the installs and stuff," said Shanahan. "We threw him out there today and he didn't make any mistakes. He was able to line up with confidence.
"Mo's a pro. Mo works at it. It was good to seem today; I hadn't seen him for a while. I'm glad to have him here. I know if we go with five we won't hesitate to have him out there, and I know he'll be ready."
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
Kyle Shanahan explains why the 49ers abandoned the run against the Lions
The San Francisco 49ers leaned heavily on the passing game as Monday night's matchup against the Detroit Lions progressed. Of quarterback Brock Purdy's 24 second-half plays, 22 were pass attempts. On Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan discussed the decision to shift away from... -
Kyle Shanahan: Brock Purdy's play hasn't changed much from previous 49ers seasons
After a record-breaking 2023 campaign, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has struggled to replicate last year's standout numbers, showing less consistency throughout the 2024 season. Despite this, head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn't believe Purdy's performance has... -
Five things the 49ers should do in the final two games
The 2024 season has been a disappointment for the San Francisco 49ers. Actually, that's too nice. It's been a disaster. From contract disputes to players losing babies, a slew of injuries, and even a player being shot, 2024 has been a season the 49ers and their fans would like... -
49ers mailbag: Why did SF abandon the run against Detroit? Will the 49ers focus on offense or defense this offseason? Will SF replace Nick Sorensen with Robert Saleh?
There are a lot of questions that will follow the San Francisco 49ers into the offseason. Who will get extensions? Who will be let go? What moves will they make in free agency and the draft? And many more. You have questions, as well, and that's a good thing because we opened...