Brandon Aiyuk split snaps with Trent Sherfield on Sunday, with Aiyuk playing 26 of 55 and Sherfield 27. Aiyuk never saw a pass thrown his way, while Sherfield made two catches for 23 yards and a touchdown.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Aiyuk isn’t in the doghouse but simply hadn’t practiced enough. Sherfield took advantage of extra practice reps in Aiyuk’s absence to earn more playing time.
Aiyuk, a first-round choice in 2020, admitted Friday he was surprised at his lack of involvement.
“Definitely [surprised], but that was last week,” Aiyuk said, via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “Not really focused on that anymore. Another task at hand this week. Worried about that more than anything.”
Aiyuk, who led the team in receiving yards as a rookie, is off the injury report with his hamstring fully healed.
“I’ve already started to understand in this league that it’s never a steady path to the top,” Aiyuk said. “You’re going to have really high moments, low moments. I think it’s all about how you refocus, rebalance and get back on track afterwards.
“That’s how I look at it, as an opportunity as extra motivation to come back out here and get refocused, back in line and continue to move forward.”