One Player is Leading the 49ers' Wide Open Punt Return Competition

One of the more interesting battles for San Francisco 49ers fans to watch this offseason will be who ends up returning punts and kicks for the team. The competition will not get solved during OTAs, and Brant Boyer noted that he expects five to seven names to be in the mix. The early reports saw at least five different players fielding punts at OTAs so far.

The San Francisco 49ers' punt return job is wide open after OTAs

Early reports were that Jacob Cowing was leading the way during punt return drills. Still, he was followed by a cast of players that included Ricky Pearsall, Christian Kirk, Will Pauling, and even cornerback Nate Hobbs got some work.

The team was missing Junior Bergen and Isaac Guerendo as well. There is a chance that both of them are going to be in the mix. One name that was not spotted was Jordan Watkins, which is a small surprise because of his speed and experience in college.

The team would like Cowing to take hold of the job. He has the most experience, and the 49ers drafted him because they thought his floor would be similar to what the team got from Skyy Moore last year. However, Cowing has been unable to stay healthy, which is why the team added Bergen, who was a return specialist, and Moore, who became a return specialist.

Pearall is dynamic, fast, and has experience. However, the 49ers need him for a big role on offense this year, and he has not been the beacon of health. Some of the hits you take on the punt returns are brutal, and he might not be the person the team wants to throw back there.

Kirk is a veteran with experience, but he has not returned punts since earlier in his career. Aside from injury questions, there are questions of how much juice he has left. If they need someone to fair catch it cleanly, Kirk might be their guy.

Pauling is a rookie UDFA from Notre Dame who was good with the ball in his hands, but he does not have experience returning punts or kicks. So, it is good to see him in the mix, but he might be a long shot to win the job.

Right now, if Cowing can stay healthy, it looks like he can win the spot. However, they are not handing it to him.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as One Player is Leading the 49ers' Wide Open Punt Return Competition.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 9:00 PM.