Sourdough Sam
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- Mar 20, 2019
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As a 2017 undrafted free agent, Bourne has developed into a reliable contributor in Kyle Shanahan's offense. Last season, the wideout caught 30 passes for 358 yards and led 49ers receivers with five touchdowns. He also finished the season with the fourth-most red zone targets. He added an additional 88 yards and a touchdown in the postseason on six receptions, including two catches for 42 yards in Super Bowl LIV.
Of his 30 regular season receptions, 23 went for either a touchdown or first down. Five of his six receptions in the postseason also went for a first down or a score.
Shanahan noted back in November that the pass catcher has "as good of hands as anyone in this league." According to Pro Football Focus, Jimmy Garoppolo had a 121.1 passer rating when targeting Bourne, good for ninth-best among all targets to NFL receivers.
In addition to his series of offseason posts, Bourne and several other receivers joined Garoppolo in off-site training sessions as the team facility remains closed due to government mandates. San Francisco will have difficult decisions to make come September with a deep group of receivers heading into 2020. Draft picks Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings and free agent addition Travis Benjamin add to returning wideouts Trent Taylor and Jalen Hurd in the 49ers surplus of talented pass catchers.
Motivated by missed opportunities last season, Bourne is eager to assume a larger role in Year 4. While some objectives may be loftier than others, Bourne's goals and offseason preparations can certainly help aid him in cementing his status as a key figure on the 49ers offense in 2020.