The 49ers made a number of moves at tight end during the 53-man cutdown day.
The San Francisco 49ers made a flurry of moves at tight end ahead of the 53-man cutdown deadline on Tuesday, cutting five players at the position: Eric Saubert, Cameron Latu, Brayden Willis, Mason Pline, and Logan Thomas.
That left the team with just two tight ends, George Kittle and undrafted free agent Jake Tonges, on their 53-man roster, which seemed to be a surprise at first, given the team usually carries four on the roster.
Following the waiver period on Wednesday, where do the 49ers stand at tight end with the updated 53-man roster?
While the team cut five tight ends, three ultimately are expected to return to the roster after some initial Injured Reserve (IR) moves, as Saubert will take an active roster spot, serving as the No. 2 tight end to George Kittle, while Pline and Willis are heading to the practice squad.
Latu, a third round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is headed elsewhere after just one season with the 49ers, as the former Alabama tight end is signing with the Cleveland Browns practice squad.
What led the 49ers to move off Latu after just one season?
“Cam did a great job. Had two knee surgeries in his time here. But, couldn’t have asked for anything more in terms of his work ethic. I think we just kind of, you fall into some good players,” general manager John Lynch said on Wednesday.
“[TE Eric] Saubert is a guy that we went out and got in free agency, really has been a nice find for us both at tight end and at special teams. [TE] Jake Tonges has been really, I’d say, a surprise and played really well. [TE] Brayden Willis was a tough cut, but he’s back on our practice squad. I think there was just tough competition. Cam can do a lot of good things. I saw he landed on, I believe, Cleveland’s practice squad. I’m excited for him and his opportunities.
“The thing everyone liked about Cam coming in is he could do a little bit of everything. And it takes, I always tell players, it took me until my third year to start in this league, and things went pretty well. It happens at different times for different players. You want to be able to hold on, but when you’ve got a roster, sometimes you have to make tough decisions. And that was certainly a tough one, because Cam gave us everything he had.”
Latu struggled with inconsistencies and injuries in his first two years, and the 49ers ultimately cut their losses early on yet another third-round pick, leaving the tight end to head elsewhere.
Now, the 49ers are set at tight end, it seems, with Kittle, Saubert, and Tonges as the top three options. In addition, Kyle Juszczyk essentially serves as another tight end, while Tonges could end up being the backup fullback.
With only two “proven” options on the roster, would the 49ers look for another veteran tight end like Logan Thomas?
“We’ll see,” Lynch said. “Logan is a guy that, unfortunately, had a hamstring injury during camp. We like what Logan brings to the table and we’re in contact with him. We’ll see what breaks. There’s still a couple more final practice squad spots.”
Currently, the 49ers have just one open practice squad and have already added two tight ends to the fold with Willis and Pline, so it doesn’t seem likely that Thomas will return to the 49ers after a short stint in training camp.
That leaves more pressure on Saubert to not only play well early on, but also remain healthy with the depth behind him at the position.