After a series of injuries left the San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver group depleted, the team decided to trade for Skyy Moore from the Kansas City Chiefs. The transaction was finalized on Wednesday, bringing the 24-year-old wide receiver to San Francisco.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee and current 49ers general manager John Lynch addressed the move in an interview with KNBR’s Murph and Markus on Thursday. Lynch believes Moore could benefit from a new environment with the 49ers.
“I think the bottom line is, Skyy’s a talented guy who probably, a change in environment was needed (… ) And we get a chance to do it this early. What I like about it is it gives us an opportunity to evaluate him here before the season. Very talented young man who was a second-round pick in the 2022 draft. Probably has fallen short of the expectations they had for him, but he brings a lot of value in terms of, he’s a dual-returner, meaning he can do punt and kickoff return. With Jacob Cowing out, that became valuable and important to us. We really believe there’s a lot of talent and sometimes, talent, in spot, expectations of being a second-round pick and not living up to it, the scrutiny, sometimes a change of scenery is a needed thing,” Lynch said.
Lynch explained how trade discussions began after San Francisco contacted Kansas City about potential available players.
“I always like giving recognition and a shoutout to the guys in our pro department (…) That’s what they do. That’s their job to know the entire league and to look at other teams, to have discussions with their counterparts at other teams and say, ‘Hey, who might be available? Are you guys thinking of doing anything?’ And those type of things and then it leads to a conversation. Brett Veach and I have a great relationship and I probably talked [to him] for the first time a couple days ago, start talking about this and came to fruition yesterday,” Lynch said.
With several key receivers unavailable—including Brandon Aiyuk (ACL), Jauan Jennings (calf), Jordan Watkins (high-ankle sprain), Russell Gage (MCL), Jacob Cowing (hamstring), and DeMarcus Robinson (suspension)—the addition of Moore may provide much-needed depth ahead of Saturday’s preseason game.
Lynch spoke about Moore’s readiness for upcoming action: “Provided that physical goes well (… ) He gets out here. I always appreciate the way our coaches go to work with these guys and the kind of crash course. You give them enough stuff that they know and they can go run a package of plays. And then as a returner, ‘Hey, just go catch the ball and do your thing.’ Go right or go middle, that’s pretty easy. Yes, there’s nuance to it, but a lot easier on special teams.”
He also commented on Moore’s condition: “The good thing with Skyy is that he’s been in camp. He just played last week. Had a fantastic [punt] return for a touchdown against the Seahawks, so it’s not like he’s not in shape. He’s ready and we’ll make sure he’s right. We’ll get him in a good place and we’ll make that decision.”
Moore could be set to debut as soon as Saturday when San Francisco faces Los Angeles.
