Santa Clara, Calif. — For the better part of the past six years, the San Francisco 49ers have repeatedly discussed making significant moves into a tight end to sequel George Kettle.
Despite the flirtation — they were in the mix to sign Austin Hooper before he landed with the Cleveland Browns in 2020 — the Niners have never invested in anything more than low-cost free agents or late picks at the center.
Since Kittle entered the league in 2017, the Niners’ list of other tight ends reads like Who’s Who? Among the 11 other tight ends to play offensive picks for the Niners in that span are Logan Poulsen, Daniel Helm, Levin Twilo, and two Coles (Wicke and Hikotini).
These 11 tight ends played a total of 3,411 snaps in 220 games, averaging 15.5 offensive snaps per game. Non-Kittle tight ends posted 1,333 yards on 111 receptions with 15 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Kittle has played 4,264 offensive snaps in 82 games, an average of 52 games per contest. He achieved 5,254 yards on 395 catches with 31 touchdowns. Suffice it to say, the idea of giving Keitel a bit of a break was easier said than done.
“It’s not that we want to play George because he’s one of the best players in the league and you want him to be there, especially in the critical moments,” said coach Brian Fleury. “But we also want to have the ability to operate at a high level in case he has a broken chin strap and has to come out for a few plays.”
To that end, the 49ers finally put more action behind words in the April NFL Draft, selecting Alabama tight end Cameron Lato in the third round (101st overall) and Oklahoma tight end Brayden Willis in the seventh (247th overall). general) . The goal is not to get Kittle off the field so much but to pick them up where they might be able to find extra comfort and have options that are reliable and versatile enough to do anything if Kittle is unavailable.
Therein lies Kettle’s conundrum. His hard-charging style seems to give way to injury (he missed 16 games with injury in five seasons but only played fewer than 14 games once), but it’s also the thing that made him one of the most productive running ends in league history during his first six seasons.
“It’s just the reality of the game we play and the way it’s played,” Fleury said.
The catch is that Kittle is equally effective as a pass catcher and blocker, keeping defenses guessing when he’s on the field. Finding non-professional tight ends who might foretell the defense of what’s to come is easier said than done.
“It’s the luxury we have with George on the field,” Fleury said. “We can’t predict in terms of how we’re going to use the tight end. A lot of other teams don’t have that luxury. And that’s something that if we don’t have George on the field, we have to be. He realizes, ‘Are we creating tendencies with one tight end versus another?'” It’s up to us to make up for those things. It’s difficult and it’s something we’re aware of.”
In 2022, Kittle had 60 catches for 765 yards, but hit a career high with 11 touchdowns in 15 games. Kittle was especially effective finding the end zone after Brock Purdy took over at quarterback, catching seven touchdown passes in the final four weeks.
Perhaps most importantly, Kittel says he finished the season healthier than he had in years. With no irritating ankle, hamstring, or other injuries to worry about, Kittle was able to attack others in a way that allowed him to work on improvement rather than rehabilitation. Kittle points to getting in and out of breaks on his routes faster and improving his hunting radius as two points to focus.
“It just allowed me to work the way I wanted to work early in the off-season,” Kettle said. “I’ve actually managed to get a good foundation in… being able to get out on the field, run in good ways, catch the ball and not miss things, it’s way more fun to be on the football field than side watching.”
That didn’t stop Kittle from keeping tabs on the Niners’ latest addition in a tight end. Kittle is a co-founder of “Tight End University,” a now annual gathering of NFL tight ends to come together and share tips on how to play the position. Both Niners rookies are invited and quickly attach themselves to Kittle, causing him to ask him questions and watch eagerly as he takes reps in practice.
Perhaps that should come as no surprise, given that Lato and Willis have cited Kittel as one of the players they try to emulate on the field.
“We’ve seen a lot of George Keitel,” Willis said. “He does a lot of the things we do as an offense, like the same schemes we do in terms of gap, zone, outside zone, inside zone, counters, all kinds of things. … He’s a voluntary blocker, great pass-catcher, great athlete, A guy who can do everything. We look at him as a chess piece, a guy who can move, a guy who can do a lot of things and make the other team pay, and that’s how I see it too. I’m excited to learn from him. He’s one of the best in the business I can’t think of A better guide for me and my style of play.”
Latu and Willis will have to earn their chances. Both arrive with a reputation as willing blockers but they need more polishing in their passing game. And they’ll still have competition from the likes of veterans Charlie Warner and Ross Doyley to make it to the roster. Whoever does this will work behind Kittle and the Niners will find other ways, such as not assigning him certain blocks or giving him breaks during in-season practices, to keep Kittle fresh.
“When you’re looking at how to complete the rest of the room, you’re just looking for a combination of all those skills among whoever’s behind George,” Florey said. “It’s up to us to manage who will be in the game and at what time. So if George isn’t, to make sure we can get the most out of him.”