49ers mailbag: any interest in DeSean Jackson?

The 49ers coaxed Plaxico Burress to get on a plane for a visit in free agency, but he chose to accept the lucrative offer from the New York Jets.

The 49ers' consolation prize was wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who caught 53 passes for 904 yards and seven touchdowns with the Jets last season. He signed a one-year, 1 million contract to attempt to rebuild his stock for a multi-year deal after the season.Edwards has yet to show any glimpse of the player who averaged 17.1 yards per reception last season. He has not been healthy since the 49ers' third offensive play of their Week 2 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys.First, Edwards underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. And for the past three weeks, he's had an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. Through it all, his knee still hasn't fully recovered.
Edwards is likely to take at least a week off in hopes of getting his body right for the playoffs.In the past several days, there have been a lot of questions on Facebook and Twitter about the 49ers' receiver situation for the remainder of this season and the future. Such as . . .
Q: Do u see WR D. Jackson as a 49er if he is released from the eagles? (Faustino Cisneros)
Through the years, I have never once criticized any team for passing over DeSean Jackson in the 2008 draft. Of course, I've never praised the 49ers for selecting guard Chilo Rachal, but I don't condemn them for not choosing DeSean Jackson.Those who worked closely with him at Cal had nothing good to say to NFL teams. It was just too risky of a pick.That said, Andy Reid and the Eagles made it work for the first three years. And I'm not sure any team other than the Eagles could've made it work as well as it did. They had a perfect situation with a veteran team and a down-field passing attack. Also, it was important that he went to an East Coast team to escape some of the influences that might have contributed to his problems at Cal.Jackson is going to want -- and he'll likely receive -- a big-money contract as a free agent. And that will open up a new set of concerns. Right now, the way the 49ers are built, I don't see the 49ers paying big money to add a wide receiver. And it's hard to see how Jackson would fit in with the 49ers on or off the field.
Q: Is Braylon Edwards going to be a factor for opposing defenses this year? (Rafael Robles)
It's all contingent on his getting healthy. He is certainly not going to come close to reaching any of the incentives that would've added another 2.5 million to his paycheck this season. So his whole mindset is geared around getting his body right and being a contributor in the playoffs. The 49ers believe they are a better team with Michael Crabtree and Edwards on the field -- not just for their receiving skills but also because of their size and blocking ability in the run game.Q: any chance niners would look pick up Jason hill?? @kmills79
Q: any chance they'll try out Owens? @ponyboylicks
The way the 49ers are set up, this just isn't a wide-receiver friendly offense. Heck, it's not an offense that's friendly for any pass-catcher.Let's just look at tight end Vernon Davis. There's nothing wrong with Vernon Davis. He is the same player he has been for the past several years. Heck, he's probably a better player. But look at his numbers: Davis has 484 yards receiving through 11 games. Last season, he had 914 receiving yards on the season.Part of the reason Alex Smith is completing 62.4 percent of his passes and is among the best in the league at avoiding turnovers is because they don't throw the ball down the field very often.They have deep threats. Ad they take a couple shots a game. Ted Ginn has very good speed to get down the field. Crabtree is adept at getting deep on double-moves. But I don't think there's anyone out there on the street that the team believes is better than the top four receivers on their roster: Crabtree, Edwards, Ginn and Kyle Williams.This week, I asked Brandon Lloyd if he thought the 49ers might attempt to trade for him. He said he thought the team had a good thing going with its chemistry.This isn't fantasy football. You just don't plug in offensive numbers. There are concerns about how a player fits into the offense and how he fits into the locker room. The top four receivers on the depth chart have been around all season. They know the offense. They've worked with the quarterback.Edwards has not worked through some of the details with Alex Smith. The pair had a miscommunication against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving. It seems unrealistic that the 49ers could or would pluck somebody off the street at this point and expect him to make any kind of impact in the playoffs.
Q: Will we see any Swain to maybe start some progress on the WRs? (P.J. Camacho)
The question refers to Brett Swain, who won a tryout among T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Brian Finneran, Chris Chambers and the receivers on the 49ers' practice squad and was signed to a one-year contract on Oct. 12.
Anybody the 49ers signed that day was going to be their No. 5 receiver. With Edwards likely out for at least one game, Swain becomes the 49ers' No. 4 receiver. He might see as many as a handful of snaps on offense, but he's an insurance policy.