49ers reuniting with former WR on one-year deal

After three years away, Trent Taylor has agreed to come back to San Francisco. The veteran wide receiver/return man is set to rejoin the 49ers, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reports. The team has since announced a one-year agreement with Taylor.

The 49ers drafted Taylor in the 2017 fifth round but did not retain him once his rookie contract expired. After two seasons with the Bengals, the slot player/punt returner spent last year with the Bears. Taylor operated as Chicago’s primary punt returner last season.

Taylor predates some of the key 49ers who have been part of the team’s run of NFC Championship Game appearances over the past three years, but he arrived during Kyle Shanahan‘s first offseason as HC. The 49ers used Taylor extensively on offense in 2017; the 5-foot-8 target caught 43 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns. Since that season, however, Taylor has not seen much usage on offense. He has, however, worked as a regular punt returner for three franchises.

Also San Francisco’s punt returner as a rookie, Taylor averaged 10.3 yards per return with Cincinnati in 2022; that ranked sixth in the NFL. Last year, the Bears stashed Taylor on their practice squad before calling him up ahead of Week 1. Taylor played in all 17 Chicago games, averaging 8.3 yards per return. While Taylor has not seen much time as a receiver since his first 49ers stint, he caught a key two-point conversion in the Bengals’ overtime win over the Chiefs in the 2021 AFC Championship Game.

San Francisco’s primary punt returner last season — Ray-Ray McCloud — is no longer on the roster; he signed with the Falcons in free agency. A failed McCloud fumble recovery on the punt that caromed off Darrell Luter in the third quarter of Super Bowl LVIII became a pivotal sequence for the 49ers, whose defense surrendered a touchdown — the Chiefs’ only regulation TD in the overtime thriller — one play later. Taylor, who will turn 30 later this month, may now be the favorite to replace McCloud in the return game.

A Taylor injury prevented him from playing in 2019, but he did circle back to a Super Bowl stage two years later with the Bengals. As the 49ers attempt to clear a troublesome hurdle en route to their sixth championship, they are bringing back an old friend for a niche role. Although the NFL changing the kick-return game has affected teams’ plans this offseason, Taylor has mostly been a punt-game specialist. The Louisiana Tech alum has eight career kickoff returns as a pro.