There are certainly other higher-profile roster moves taking place in San Francisco these days, but one of the lesser talked about changes may have a bigger impact on the 49ers' offense this year than some might expect.
Three weeks ago, the 49ers signed free-agent tight end Luke Farrell to a 3-year deal worth around $20 million, a move that placed Farrell squarely in the TE2 role in San Francisco.
At the NFL Owners' Meetings in Florida this week, Bay Area NBC Sports Reporter Jennifer Lee Chan spoke with 49ers' Head Coach Kyle Shanahan about the addition of Farrell, a fifth-year veteran tight end from the Jacksonville Jaguars, to the team's roster. And his remarks were in line with what many team reporters and fans believed might take place at the tight end position this year in San Francisco.
The 49ers' move to pick up Farrell may have been unexpected outside of the team's daily circle of followers and media members, but it is seen as both logical and beneficial by those who have watched the 49ers closely over recent seasons. For the past year, the 49ers were functionally without the key element of having a quality blocking tight end behind George Kittle on the roster. Charlie Woerner, who had filled that role in San Francisco well since 2021, left for Atlanta in free agency at the end of the 2023 season.
Following Woerner's departure, the 49ers brought in Eric Saubert, a journeyman tight end who has bounced around the NFL since 2017 (ten teams in nine years), in the role of backup to Kittle in 2024. Saubert had a minimal effect within the 49ers' offensive scheme, however, and the team let him move on at the close of the season. Saubert signed with the Seattle Seahawks, the eleventh team of his career, on March 24.
Speaking with Kyle Shanahan at the NFL Owners' meetings this week, Chan afterward reported that Shanahan was locked in on taking some of the pressure off Kittle in the season ahead.
"We really needed a Number Two blocking tight end," Shanahan said. "Losing Charlie, we thought we hadn't been able to replace him yet. Eric came in and did some good things for us last year, but for Luke to be available where we got him pricewise, I thought we got one of the better blockers in this league and someone who can also bring something in the pass game also."
The addition of Farrell speaks directly to that need, and his superior blocking abilities should allow Kittle to refocus on creating more clear throwing options for 49ers' quarterback Brock Purdy, something the team missed greatly last year. The requirement for Kittle to engage in blocking duties last season, rather than opening up defenses underneath and against linebackers as a pass catcher, took him out of much of what Shanahan wanted to do, especially with 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk out of the lineup due to a season-ending knee injury.
Losing Woerner a year ago has had an impact on the 49ers' run game as well, where Shanahan has traditionally put a great deal of weight inside his game plan. Farrell's presence has significant potential to bring that side of the 49ers' offensive punch back to the level of its earlier successes, something Shanahan genuinely wants to accomplish.
"I think it's one of the critical things in running the ball," Shanahan said. "To balance out the offensive line, to balance out two sides of the formation, when you have the threat to go to the defensive end on both sides of the ball is a big deal."
Despite having the TE1 and TE2 positions effectively locked down, Shanahan reportedly may still look to select a tight end in the NFL Draft later this month, though it's unlikely to happen until the draft's later rounds.
Speaking to the increased depth now with Farrell on the roster, Shanahan told Chan, "None of that really rules us out, but it helps us out going into the draft having a little more depth there."
Shanahan's comments indicate he clearly sees Kittle, despite his elite blocking skills, as still the most formidable receiving tight end in the NFL.
"Kittle is really good in pass protection, but you don't always want to use a guy in pass protection that is really good in routes. So having another tight end with the length to block defensive ends is important so you can double-team the inside with the O-line and get someone like Kittle out on routes."
The stats back up Shanahan's contention. Despite having to shoulder both principal blocking chores and typical tight end receiving duties last season, Kittle played exceptionally well, finishing the year with 8 touchdowns and over 1,100 yards, the fourth 1000+ yard season of his career. At 31, Kittle is entering the later years of his time on the field, but the addition of Farrell and the lightening of Kittle's blocking duties can only help him maintain high productivity moving forward.
With tight ends Brayden Willis, Jake Tonges, and Mason Pline still under contract in San Francisco, the 49ers will likely not make any definitive decisions at the depth positions behind Kittle and Farrell for several months.