49ers training camp preview: Questions remain behind Kittle at tight end
The 49ers have George Kittle at tight end for an eighth year but training camp must unearth others.
SANTA CLARA – So much of the 49ers’ high-production offense returns from last season. And then there is the George Kittle-led tight end room.
Will the 49ers go young at the position? Will new veterans stick? Will it be a mix?
Training camp and the preseason games should ferret that out for the 49ers’ roster. Here is a closer look:
WHO’S HERE
George Kittle, Logan Thomas, Eric Saubert, Brayden Willis, Cameron Latu, Jake Tonges, Mason Pline
ALL-PRO LEAD
Kittle is the reigning AP First-Team All-Pro, and core-muscle surgery in February should have him primed to keep that title away from Travis Kelce, Sam LaPorta and others. Kittle turns 31 on Oct. 9 and is the second-longest tenured active 49er behind Kyle Juszczyk. Amid his third career 1,000-yard season, Kittle averaged a career-high 11.3 yards per target. Whether he’s catching three touchdown passes against the Dallas Cowboys or making a fourth-down conversion in the Super Bowl, his receiving ability can get overlooked. Such is life when your blocking prowess remains elite, and energetic leadership is expected to deliver captain status for a seventh straight year.
VETERAN ARRIVALS
Thomas came aboard in June’s minicamp with an appealing résumé, a decade after his conversion as an Arizona Cardinals quarterback. He had 55 catches for 496 yards and four touchdowns last year in his fourth and final season with Washington. With 219 career receptions over 94 games, Thomas is the most proficient tight end on the roster besides Kittle.
Saubert, drafted 28 spots behind Kittle in 2017, offers the blocking repertoire the 49ers need after losing Charlie Woerner in free agency to Atlanta, which is where Ross Dwelley also signed. This is Saubert’s seventh team in eight years.
SECOND-YEAR WONDERS
While Kittle rehabbed in the spring, Brayden Willis benefitted from first-team reps and showed growth from a zero-catch rookie season. He did play in the final eight games (mostly on special teams) so the 49ers have invested in his development. Latu commanded a third-round pick last year, but a knee injury kept him out his rookie season and through this past offseason’s workouts. Latu struggled in training camp a year ago so a bounce-back effort will be needed, though the 49ers figure to ease him into action after a year on the sideline.
THE UNDERDOG PROJECTS
Mason Pline’s 6-foot-6, 254-pound frame certainly stands out, as does his athletic ability as a former college basketball player. If he proves a quick learner, it will be fascinating to see if the 49ers commit to him beyond a practice squad spot. Overlooked in this position group’s juggling is Jake Tonges, a Los Gatos native and Cal product who could have a leg up on his camp competition by virtue of last season’s stint with the practice squad.