Ever since head coach Kyle Shanahan arrived in the Bay Area, the San Francisco 49ers have been looking for a worthy backup tight end to complement tight end George Kittle, who broke out in 2018 after Shanahan and general manager John Lynch drafted him in 2017. The cycle started with the incumbent veteran Garrett Celek, who had a productive 2017 season with 21 catches for 336 yards and 4 touchdowns during his age-29 season. However, Celek’s production significantly dropped in 2018 as Kittle broke out with 1,377 yards, with the veteran backup catching just five passes.
Then came undrafted free agent Ross Dwelley, who had 15 catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns in 2019 as the No. 2 option. The 49ers also drafted Kaden Smith with a sixth-round pick in 2019, and he never played a game for the team. In 2020, with Kittle battling injuries for half the season, the 49ers entertained the Jordan Reed experiment, adding one of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s top players from his Washington days, but the veteran couldn’t remain healthy.
That same year, the 49ers drafted another tight end, taking blocking specialist Charlie Woerner with a 2020 sixth-round pick, but he wasn’t very productive as a receiver, catching just five passes in 2021, which was the most of any backup tight end during the season. In 2022, the 49ers entertained the idea of veteran Tyler Kroft, who moved on after a year.Fast-forward to 2023 and the backup tight ends have been especially bad for the 49ers, as they’ve accumulated just 11 (yes, 11) receiving yards combined on the season.
