Keenan Allen Traded To 49ers To Add Depth At WR Position

The San Francisco 49ers acquired Keenan Allen at the trade deadline from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

The 34-year-old veteran was targeted to add depth at receiver, as the team is dealing with injuries.

The receiver core has been the victim this year, injury-wise, and the 49ers seem to struggle with this issue every year. Mike Evans hasn’t played in almost a month with an Achilles issue and remains questionable. Deebo Samuel has been out a week longer and hopes to return from a hamstring issue this week but is still questionable as well. On top of that, Christian Kirk is on the IR with a knee issue, and they don’t know if or when he will return.

Allen is a reliable target who specializes with his hands. He isn’t the fastest receiver, but he’s never been used in that way anyway.

The Colts have been cleaning house recently, trading away other veterans, Quenton Nelson, as well as DeForest Buckner, who was also a deal with the 49ers. They also moved wide receiver Josh Downs.

This trade almost certainly answers any questions fans had about a possible return for Brandon Aiyuk, who was recently reinstated by the NFL, but the team clearly doesn’t want any business with him. He will likely be released instead of being used for depth on the injury-prone depth chart.

Allen was the Colts’ top target this season with 40 receptions. A healthy receiving core of Evans, Allen, Samuel, and TE George Kittle would be lethal and diverse in attributes, but the question remains whether they can stay on the field.

There is no word on whether Allen will play this week against the Dallas Cowboys. If he does, it will be the second week in a row after playing them with the Colts, where he had 26 yards.