Niner Noise
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5 players who were pushed onto the 49ers’ roster bubble during 2019 OTAs

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 30: Richie James #13, Kendrick Bourne #84 and Trent Taylor #81 of the San Francisco 49ers look on during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 30: Richie James #13, Kendrick Bourne #84 and Trent Taylor #81 of the San Francisco 49ers look on during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 08: Tight end Garrett Celek #88 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on against the Green Bay Packers at Candlestick Park on September 8, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 08: Tight end Garrett Celek #88 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on against the Green Bay Packers at Candlestick Park on September 8, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Tight End Garrett Celek

Veteran tight end Garrett Celek might have been on the fringes of the roster bubble by OTAs already, particularly after having more accepted penalties against him last year (six) than receptions (five).

Especially after the 49ers brought aboard Stanford tight end Kaden Smith in the NFL Draft, then picking up veteran tight end Levine Toilolo as a free agent.

Toilolo is a superior blocker to Celek, and Smith offers more upside as a pass-catching weapon. Yet OTAs revealed a major setback to Celek’s chances to make the 53-man roster.

Likely in Week 16, Celek suffered a concussion, which kept him off the active list in Week 17 to close out the season. Yet Celek missed OTAs while continuing to go through the concussion protocol.

While it makes more than enough sense to keep him safe from additional head injuries, Celek’s absence doesn’t help him in this competition at all.

Instead, Toilolo and Smith will get far more looks between now and the start of training camp, pushing Celek even further onto the periphery.