49ers’ No. 3 receiver job is wide open

After the 49ers signed Jerome Simpson in March, many wondered why a team with a troubling recent history of off-the-field issues would sign a wide receiver with three arrests since 2012.

Why did a team with few proven wide receivers sign a player they knew was probably facing significant league discipline stemming from a 2014 arrest?

Boldin, Smith and Simpson are the only wideouts on the roster with more than six career catches.

In April, general manager Trent Baalke was asked about his team’s wide receiver depth in a pre-draft meeting with the media.

The lone wide receiver the 49ers selected, Georgia Tech’s DeAndre Smelter in the fourth round, is likely to miss the season with a torn ACL he suffered in college.

Simpson, Bruce Ellington and Quinton Patton, the latter two of whom are recent fourth-round picks who each have six career receptions.

The offensive coaches would probably echo special-teams coach Thomas McGaughey, who said it’s tough to assess Ellington as a punt returner because he’s rarely been on the field.

Davis had his fewest targets (50) since 2008 and Kaepernick threw five screen passes to running backs, according to Pro Football Focus.

In the offseason, the 49ers signed Reggie Bush, who leads active running backs in receptions (466), and running back Carlos Hyde has flashed reliable hands in the offseason.