Finding out who the 49ers are getting in former Jaguars TE Luke Farrell
The lone external signing the San Francisco 49ers made on Day 1 of free agency was a tight end that the casual fan likely had no clue about.
Initially, when the 49ers inked Luke Farrell to a deal, the thought was that he’d be a core special teamer who would occasionally spell George Kittle and help bolster the 49ers 12 personnel. But after a mildly surprising release of fullback Kyle Juszczyk, a contract worth up to $20 million for Farrell made a little more sense.
Why would Kyle Shanahan shift to more two tight end sets?
It has long been the 49ers most effective personnel grouping. Let’s ignore last year because of injuries and go back to 2023 when the Niners’ offense was unstoppable. You might think their best personnel was in 11 personnel with Jauan Jennings on the field or 21 personnel when Juszczyk was lined up as a fullback. You would be incorrect.
San Francisco led the NFL with a 55 percent success rate out of 12 personnel in 2023 at 55 percent. The problem is they only used that grouping 23 percent of the time, which was 27th in the NFL.
Kyle Shanahan wants two tight ends on the field. The problem is finding an effective one. Juszczyk was as close as the 49ers came during the previous two seasons. He primarily lined up as an inline tight end. The issue for Juice was he was only 240 pounds. You can only ask a 6’1”, 240-pounder to execute so many blocks when he’s taking on players 30, 40, and 50+ pounds heavier than him.
I have all of the respect in the world for Juszczyk. He is the cardio king, did roughly six different jobs a game, and rarely was in a glorifying role that would garner his deserved attention.
Still, from a football perspective, it’s easy to understand why the Niners were ready to cut ties with the 34-year-old-to-be and pivot to a younger, bigger body who should be able to accomplish the same things as Juszczyk and bring more of a physical presence.
SB Nation’s JP Acosta was kind enough to take the time to answer five questions about Farrell to help us get more knowledge about the 49ers’ first signing in free agency.
What is the biggest reason a team would want Luke Farrell?
Farrell is at his best as a run blocker. He’s physical at the point of attack and can be a guy who solos on EDGEs or operate as a puller on gap scheme runs. You don’t sign Farrell to catch the ball, you want him to eat glass as a run blocker.
What were Jaguars fans’ reactions to Farrell getting a deal worth up to $20 million?
Genuinely, I was surprised he got $20 million. He seems more like a value signing due to his lack of volume as a pass catcher. But the Jags were never going to match that with a new GM around.
The 49ers had a severe physicality problem last year. Does Farrell address that?
I think he does. He’s going to bring an edge to the run-blocking department, albeit in limited snaps.
Will the Jaguars notice Farrell is gone?
Probably not. He didn’t play a lot due to Evan Engram and Brenton Strange on the roster, and was exclusively a goal line/13 personnel blocker. I think if they want a guy like that, they can find one, as they did with Johnny Mundt.
Would you advocate for a team signing Farrell, or is there a Farrell in every NFL Draft, especially this one that’s perceived to be deep at tight end?
I think I would for the right price. This draft has a few nice run blockers, but someone with experience is going to be my first priority, especially for a team like the 49ers, who want to win now.