The San Francisco 49ers have placed veteran tight end Garrett Celek on injured reserve, according to Field Yates of ESPN, likely due to ongoing back issues. The team has activated tight end Daniel Helm from the practice squad to take Celek's roster spot.
Helm will wear No. 43.
Another injury for the 49ers: they've placed TE Garrett Celek on inured reserve and elevated TE Daniel Helm from the practice squad. Celek had recently been activated from PUP.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 12, 2019
The 49ers have signed safety Jacob Thieneman, a rookie out of Purdue, to take Helm's spot on the practice squad.
Celek has appeared in five games this season with one start but does not have a reception. He was activated from the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on November 11 after spending the entire offseason on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list following offseason back surgery.
The 49ers signed Celek as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State in 2012. He registered five receptions for 90 yards with two touchdowns through 15 games and one start with the 49ers in 2018.
Celek caught 82 passes for 1,104 yards with 12 touchdowns through his first seven NFL seasons.
The Los Angeles Chargers signed Helm on May 10 as an undrafted free agent out of Duke, where he played college football after transferring from Tennessee. In 51 collegiate career games with 26 starts, he recorded 75 receptions for 804 yards (10.7 avg.) with six touchdowns.
Los Angeles waived Helm on August 1, and San Francisco claimed him on August 2.
Thieneman entered the NFL after signing with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent on May 15. He was waived by the Giants on June 13, later signed with the Indianapolis Colts on August 26, and was waived on August 31.