How Shanahan envisions 49ers benefiting from Farrell addition

PALM BEACH, Fla. —The 49ers surprised much of the NFL when they signed tight end Luke Farrell to their most expensive free-agent contract of the offseason on March 13.The Jacksonville Jaguars' 2021 fifth-round NFL draft pick agreed to a three-year contract worth up to $20.25 million with the 49ers. While at the NFL Annual Meetings, coach Kyle Shanahan explained that even though the team has All-Pro George Kittle on the roster, the need for a talented blocking tight end is important for his offensive scheme.The 49ers previously employed Charlie Woerner, who now is with the Atlanta Falcons and Eric Saubert, who recently signed with the Seattle Seahawks."We really needed a No. 2 blocking tight end," Shanahan said. "Losing Charlie, we thought we haven'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 price-wise, I thought we got one of the better blockers in this league and someone who can also bring something in the pass game also."Shanahan has had a consistently successful run-game, even before his arrival in the Bay Area, and having a second blocking tight end has been a large part of that...