49ers claim Nsimba Webster off waivers

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images The San Francisco 49ers picked up wide receiver/returner Nsimba Webster on Wednesday, one day after he was released by the Los Angeles Rams. That’s pretty much the entire story.

With the kickoff rules updated in the last few years to make long returns exceptionally unlikely, the return position has been devalued to the point of almost being irrelevant. Last season, three players had at least 30 kickoff returns, and seven players scored a touchdown on a return.

In 2010, 23 players had at least 30 kickoff returns, and 20 players had more than 35 kickoff returns, which is how many 2020 returns leader Cordarrelle Patterson had last season. A decade ago, 10…