Braylon Edwards Released by 49ers, Future for the Former No. 3 Pick?

Tuesday morning, Braylon Edwards announced via twitter that he has been released by the San Fransisco 49ers.  In his statement, he mentioned how an injury prevented him from gelling with the offense.

In 2011, Edwards was only listed as a starter for five of the nine games he played and caught 15 balls for 181 yards, with zero touchdowns on the season. (via pro-footballreference.com)

Considering the 49ers are not a pass-first team, it makes it more difficult for receivers to get that in-game consistency with a new quarterback. There is not a 1,000-yard receiver on the offense and Alex Smith has not yet eclipsed the 3,000-yard passing mark (via CBSsports).

But Edwards' lacking performance can't be ignored; he missed four games after a surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee.  The nagging injury and poor showing led to his listing as inactive in two other games after he was cleared to play.

That opened the door for quarterback Smith to develop a rhythm with other players, including second-year man Kyle Williams, who has come up with solid games in the later weeks of the season.

It's unlikely that Edwards will be claimed by a team this late in the year, even for teams in need during the playoffs.  If he wasn't able to sync with an offense during the regular season it won't happen in the post season. 

His statement also sounds like he is already looking ahead to rehab and the 2012 season.

At 28, Edwards still has plenty of reason to be optimistic. Last year with the Jets, he had 53 catches for 904 yards and seven touchdowns, his best season since his 2007 Pro Bowl year with Cleveland.  If he can continue to rehab and get into a team's system early in the off-season, he will have a chance to get back to where he used to be.

At 6-foot-3, if he can maintain his speed he will still be a deep threat; a missing piece young quarterbacks will need to spread the field.  Some possible fits would be Jacksonville, Minnesota or another city with a young quarterback who needs weapons.

If these teams are not able to find receivers through the draft than Edwards would be an option.  The important thing for him would be getting there early and getting comfortable with a young player.