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49ers Rookie’s Heartbreaking Story Before His NFL Breakthrough

Posted August 21, 2025

Santa Clara, CA – August 20, 2025

Through one preseason game, rookie wide receiver Jordan Watkins has already given San Francisco a glimpse of what he can become. In the opener vs. Denver, he led the 49ers with 56 receiving yards, including an explosive early shot that flipped the field and put his name on the staff’s evaluation sheets. 

Then came the twist that never shows up on depth charts: a high-ankle sprain discovered after the game. Kyle Shanahan said Watkins is expected to miss about a month, turning his Week 2 momentum into a rehab grind and a patience test. 

The 49ers close the preseason Saturday, Aug. 23, 5:30 p.m. PT vs. the Chargers at Levi’s Stadium. For the team, it’s the last tune-up. For Watkins, the audition shifts to the meeting room and the training room—stacking mental reps, showing progress, and trusting that the tape he already put down speaks loudly enough. 

But every highlight casts a shadow that doesn’t show on a stat sheet.

“My parents divorced when I was 10. Both went on to build new families, while I lived a tough but happy life with my grandparents and never saw them again. Now, as I earn my first paycheck, they’ve both returned to congratulate me.”

The sentiment fits the way Watkins plays: turning fracture into fuel, lonely work into separation at the top of routes, and every contested ball into a declaration that he belongs.

Cutdown day looms—clubs must be at 53 by Tuesday, Aug. 26 (4:00 p.m. ET). For San Francisco, that’s a numbers game. For Jordan Watkins, it’s a chance to turn early flashes—and the grit of rehab—into a place in the room.

Eagles Head Coach Announces A.J. Brown To Start On The Bench For Standout Rookie After Poor Performance vs. Broncos
  Philadelphia, PA — the Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach confirmed that A.J. Brown will start on the bench in Week 6 against the New York Giants, with the boundary starting spot going to rookie WR Taylor Morin—an undrafted signing out of Wake Forest who flashed through rookie camp and the preseason. The decision follows an underwhelming offensive showing against the Denver Broncos, where several snaps highlighted the unit being out of sync between Brown and Jalen Hurts. On a midfield option route, Hurts read Cover-2 and waited for an inside break into the soft spot, while Brown maintained a vertical stem and widened to the boundary to stretch the corner. The ball fell into empty space and the drive stalled. On a separate red-zone snap, a pre-snap hot-route signal wasn’t locked identically by the pair, resulting in a hurried throw that was broken up. The staff treated it as a reminder about route-depth precision, timing, and pre-snap communication—the micro-details that underpin the Eagles’ offense when January football arrives. Starting Morin is part of a plan to re-establish rhythm: the early script is expected to emphasize horizontal spacing, short choice/option concepts, and over routes off play-action to probe the Giants’ responses. Morin—who has shown strong hands in tight windows and clean timing in the preseason—should give the call sheet a steadier platform, while Brown will be “activated” in high-leverage downs such as 3rd-and-medium, two-minute, and red zone to maximize his body control, early separation, and the coverage gravity that can force New York to roll coverage. Facing the tough call, Brown kept his response brief but competitive:“I can’t accept letting a kid take my spot, but I respect his decision. Let’s see what we’re saying after the game. I’ll practice and wait for my chance. When the ball is in the air, everyone will know who I am.” Operationally, the staff is expected to streamline the call sheet between Hurts and Brown: standardize option-route depths, clearly flag hot signals, and increase game-speed reps in 7-on-7 and team periods so both are “seeing it the same and triggering the same.” Handing the start to Morin also resets the locker-room standard: every role is earned by tape and daily detail—even for a star of Brown’s caliber. If Brown converts the message into cleaner stems and precise landmarks—catching the ball at the spot and on time—the Eagles anticipate early returns: fewer dead drives, better red-zone execution when back-shoulder throws and choice routes are run “in the same language,” and an offense that regains tempo before taking on Big Blue. With Taylor Morin in the opening script, Philadelphia hopes the fresh piece is enough to jump-start the attack from the first series.