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 backups
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.