San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked after Thursday night's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers why he chose not to play tight end Ross Dwelley in the preseason finale.
"He's shown us enough," Shanahan answered.
It's clear that Shanahan has already decided that Dwelley, an offseason standout, will make the regular-season roster. NFL teams must trim their squads down to 53 players by Saturday at 1 p.m. PT.
While Dwelley and starter George Kittle didn't suit up against the Chargers, several other tight ends did. They were Kaden Smith, Levine Toilolo, Daniel Helms, and Tyree Mayfield. One other tight end, Garrett Celek, remains on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and is a candidate for injured reserve.
The 49ers made Smith a sixth-round draft pick out of Stanford in April. Dwelley signed as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2018, and spent the start of the season on San Francisco's practice squad before being promoted to the active roster on October 15, 2018.
Dwelley caught two passes for 14 yards last season and had three receptions for 51 yards this preseason.