Is it time for 49ers to provide George Kittle a breather? – ESPN – San Francisco 49ers Weblog
Nick WagonerESPN staff writer6 minutes reading
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For the past six years, the San Francisco 49ers have spoken frequently about making significant moves at the tight end to complement George Kittle.
Despite flirting — they were in the process of signing Austin Hooper before he landed with the Cleveland Browns in 2020 — the Niners never invested in anything more than low-cost free agents or late-round picks at the position.
Since Kittle joined the league in 2017, the list of the Niners’ other tight ends reads like a who’s who from Who’s That? The 11 other tight ends who played offensive snaps for the Niners during this period include Logan Paulsen, Daniel Helm, Levine Toilolo and two Coles (Wick and Hikutini).
Those 11 tight ends have played 3,411 total snaps across 220 games, averaging 15.5 offensive snaps per game. The non-kittle tight ends have rushed for 1,333 yards on 111 receptions and 15 touchdowns.
Kittle, meanwhile, has played 4,264 offensive snaps in 82 games, averaging 52 per game. He has 5,254 receiving yards on 395 catches and 31 touchdowns. Suffice to say, the idea of giving Kittle a little breather was easier said than done.
“It’s not like we want to take George’s plays because he’s one of the best players in the league and you want him out there, especially at critical moments,” said tight ends coach Brian Fleury. “But we also want the ability to function at a high level in case he potentially breaks his chin strap and has to be out for a couple of games.”
To that end, the 49ers finally put some more action behind their words in the April NFL draft, picking Alabama tight end Cameron Latu (No. 101 overall) and Oklahoma tight end Brayden Willis in the third round seventh round (No. 247 overall). . The goal isn’t to get Kittle off the field too much, but to choose places where he can find extra rest and have reliable options versatile enough to do anything when Kittle isn’t available.
Therein lies the Kittle riddle. His aggressive style seems injury-prone (he’s missed 16 games in five seasons through injury but only played fewer than 14 games once), but it’s also the thing that has made him one of the most prolific tight ends in the league in his history first six seasons.
“It’s just the reality of the game we’re playing and the style in which he’s playing it,” Fleury said.
The dilemma is that Kittle is equally effective as both a pass catcher and blocker, leaving defenses in the dark when he’s on the field. Easier said than done is finding tight ends who aren’t specialists who could give the defense a clue as to what’s to come.
“It’s the luxury we have on the field with George,” Fleury said. “We’re unpredictable when it comes to how we use the tight end. Many other teams don’t have that luxury. And if we don’t have George on the field, we need to have him.” aware, “Are we creating tendencies with one tight end against another?” So it’s up to us to balance those issues. It is a challenge and we are aware of it.”
George Kittle had a career-best 11 touchdown passes last year, including seven in his last four games.Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire
In 2022, Kittle had 60 catches for 765 yards but set a career-high with 11 touchdown catches in 15 games. Kittle has been particularly effective at finding the end zone after Brock Purdy took over as quarterback, catching seven touchdown passes over the past four weeks.
Perhaps more importantly, Kittle says he finished the season healthier than he’s been in years. Kittle didn’t have to worry about sore ankles, hamstring injuries or other injuries and was able to approach his off-season in a way that allowed him to work on improvement rather than rehab. As two areas of focus, Kittle points to getting in and out of breaks faster on his routes and improving his catch radius.
“It just allowed me to work the way I wanted to earlier in the offseason,” Kittle said. “Actually, I was able to lay a good foundation… The ability to get on the field, run good distances, catch the ball and not miss anything, it’s just a lot more fun to be on the football field than on the field .” the side watching.
That hasn’t stopped Kittle from keeping an eye on the Niners’ new tight end signings, however. Kittle is one of the founders of Tight End University, a now annual gathering of NFL tight ends to train together and share tips on how to play at the position. Both of the Niners’ newcomers are invited and quickly joined Kittle, showering him with questions and watching intently as he does reps in practice.
Perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering Latu and Willis named Kittle as one of the players they hoped to emulate on the pitch.
“We saw a lot of George Kittle,” Willis said. “He does so many things that we do on offense, like the same schemes that we do in terms of gap, zone, outer zone, inner zone, counterattack and all sorts of things. … He’s a willing blocker, great pass.” -Catcher, great athlete, guy who can do anything. We look at him as a pawn, a guy who can move, a guy who can do a lot of things and pay the other team to do it, and that’s how I see him myself. I look forward to learning from him. He’s one of the best in the business and I can’t think of a better mentor for me and my style of play.”
Latu and Willis have to earn their chances. Both have a reputation for being willing blockers, but need more tweaking when it comes to passing. And they’ll still have competition from veterans like Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley making the roster. Whoever makes it will work behind Kittle, and the Niners will find other ways to keep Kittle fresh, such as not assigning him certain blocks or giving him breaks during season training.
“If you’re thinking of how to complement the rest of the space, just look for a combination of all of those skills in those behind George,” Fleury said. “It’s up to us to determine who is in the game at what point. So if George isn’t there, we have to make sure we make the best of it.”
