The 49ers tight end room is exceptionally talented going into camp, due in large part to Pro Bowler George Kittle at the top of the depth chart. There’s a fierce battle brewing further down the roster though that could result in added production from San Francisco’s tight ends.
Here’s a look at what’s brewing in that competition heading into camp:
The roster
George Kittle
There may not be a faster rising player in the NFL than Kittle. He backed up a solid rookie season with a record-setting second season. Kittle posted 1,377 receiving yards – the most ever by a tight end – on 88 catches with five touchdowns. His blocking ability combined with elite athleticism make him a nightmare matchup for defenses.
Garrett Celek
Celek has had a quietly strong seven-year career in San Francisco. He’s survived three coaching changes thanks to his well-rounded skill set. While he’s mostly used as a blocker, he’s a skilled enough receiver to make a difference when targeted. He has six touchdowns and 426 yards on 26 receptions in two years Kyle Shanahan’s two years as the 49ers’ head coach. Celek had back surgery over the offseason that may prevent him from being ready for the start of camp. He’s also yet to be cleared from a concussion he sustained in Week 16 last season.
Kaden Smith
The 49ers selected Smith in the sixth round out of Stanford in this year’s draft. He has NFL size at 6-5, 255 pounds, but his athletic numbers weren’t great. Smith was still a productive player for the Cardinal despite lacking elite athleticism. He caught 70 balls for 1,049 yards and seven touchdowns in two years there, and operated in an offense where he was asked to block more often than catch passes.
Ross Dwelley
It’s a big second season for Dwelley who worked his way onto the 53-man roster from the practice squad in Week 6 and stayed on for the final 10 games. He had only two catches for 14 yards, but a good showing in the offseason program should buoy his stock enough to make him a contender for a roster spot in 2019.
Levine Toilolo
Toilolo was the team’s lone veteran tight end addition this offseason. The six-year veteran spent his first five years in Atlanta before playing last season for the Lions. He spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons in Shanahan’s offense. Toilolo is massive at 6-foot-8, 268 pounds. While he has good athleticism for his size, he’s not been an especially productive receiver in the NFL. He has only 95 catches for 986 yards and eight touchdowns as a pro. His career high in yards, 264, came in 2016 under Shanahan. He did that on just 13 receptions. His two touchdowns that year also tied a career best.
Tyree Mayfield
The Wyoming product joined the 49ers as an undrafted free agent this year. He caught 39 passes for 503 yards and three touchdowns in 33 games with the Cowboys. Mayfield is a touch undersized for a tight end, and may factor in more as a fullback in the same vein as Kyle Juszczyk.
The skinny
It’s conceivable that San Francisco’s tight ends are the NFL’s most productive this season with Kittle leading the way.
The group behind him is jumbled going into training camp, but ironing out who else fills out the roster will be imperative for the 49ers. Shanahan likes to be unpredictable with his personnel groupings, so having tight ends capable of both blocking effectively and threatening teams as a pass catcher is essential.
How many tight ends the 49ers keep may depend on which players elevate their level of play in camp. There are a slew of players capable of filling the reserve tight end role, and Shanahan is creative enough to find ways to use three or four different players at the position if they can carve out a niche during the preseason.
Celek’s back surgery opens the competition for reserve tight end spots a little wider, and the mix of rookies and experienced players makes the battle for those places on the roster intriguing.
Biggest question
Can a legitimate second receiving threat emerge? While Kittle did soak up a lion’s share of the targets for the 49ers last year, the fact the other tight ends on the roster caught just seven balls on 10 targets is concerning. Kittle is an elite player and no tight end is going to come near his production, but they need more out of the players behind him if they’re going to maximize their offense.
Whether it’s in the red zone or on third downs, a secondary target at tight end would make it even more difficult to account for San Francisco’s weapons. While they only ran multiple tight end sets 18.6 percent of the time per Sharp Football Stats, opposing defenses didn’t necessarily need to account for the second tight end on those plays.
It’s worth noting that the 49ers’ reserve tight ends did convert two of their seven catches into touchdowns. That kind of ratio isn’t sustainable with a higher volume of targets, but it stands to reason that they’d still churn out a high touchdown-to-target ratio. That’s a potentially untapped solution for San Francisco’s red zone woes a season ago.
Potential surprise
Celek’s injury could mean the long-time 49ers’ tenure comes to an end this year. He’s 31 and entering the final year of a four-year contract he signed in 2016. With a slew of younger, capable players at the position, any significant time missed with that back injury could open the door wide enough for Toilolo, Smith and Dwelley to move ahead of him on the depth chart.
It would take quite a bit to go wrong for Celek to not make the team, but the pieces are all there for it to happen.
53-man roster prediction
Kittle landing on the roster is perhaps the second-biggest lock behind Garoppolo. Our last 53-man projection had three tight ends on it, but there’s enough talent on the 90-man to warrant a four-player projection at the position.
Celek holds his job behind Kittle for now. The job is his if he’s healthy for most of camp. Smith and Toilolo round out the four tight ends going into camp with Dwelley in the thick of the battle to grab a spot. Mayfield is on the outside looking in, especially if he settles in as a fullback.
It’ll be interesting to see whether San Francisco keeps three or four tight ends. They could likely get away with keeping three, which gives them an additional roster spot to use at another position. However, they have enough potentially productive players that they could justify rostering four tight ends.
This will be a fun position group to follow throughout camp even with so much strength at the top of the depth chart. They may just wind up with the best set of tight ends in the league.
