Ray-Ray McCloud handled all kickoff and punt returns for the 49ers last season, but they won't have him for the beginning of the upcoming 2023 campaign after he sustained a fractured left wrist during Tuesday's practice.
McCloud was set to undergo surgery Friday and is expected to be sidelined for eight weeks, meaning he could miss the 49ers' first four or five games of the season.
That leaves the 49ers' coaching staff searching for a reliable kick returner in the interim. And while conventional wisdom would suggest young wide receivers Ronnie Bell and Danny Gray, and cornerbacks D'Shawn Jamison and Ambry Thomas might get the first cracks at the job, two unconventional names could enter the fray.
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Following Thursday's joint practice against the Las Vegas Raiders in Henderson, Nev., 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan offered up a unique option when asked about who might handle kickoffs.
"It doesn't happen much," Shanahan told reporters. "But kickoffs are a little easier to catch. Punt is a different deal. So you got to make sure first and foremost that you got a guy out there who's comfortable with it. We know we have that. Kyle Juszczyk is one of the most comfortable natural punt-return catchers there is, but hopefully we have a few other guys before our fullback is out there. But yeah, you can do it, too. So it'll be an open competition, and it'll be fun to watch."
Juszczyk, one of the 49ers' most important offensive players, has returned five total kickoffs during his 10-year NFL career. All five came during his first three seasons in the league with the Baltimore Ravens.
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As slim as the chances of Juszczyk returning kickoffs are, an even more unlikely scenario would be wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk returning punts, though it is something he has experience doing.
Aiyuk has returned 31 career punts, including 29 during the 2021 NFL season, his second year in the league.
But now, coming off a 1,015-yard receiving season, he is too valuable to the 49ers to have him on the field in punt-return situations.
Right? Well ...
"I think so," Aiyuk told reporters after practice Friday when asked if his punt-returning days were over. "We'll see though. We'll see. We'll see. I went back there yesterday. We'll see."
The good news for the 49ers is that they have three preseason games to figure out what the best option is, and the first showcase comes against the Raiders on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
