49ers: 3 players who benefit from Jalen Hurd injury

No. 3: TE Ross Dwelley

The offseason signing of former Washington tight end Jordan Reed seems to have put Ross Dwelley, last year’s No. 2 tight end option behind All-Pro George Kittle, on alter in terms of his making the roster.

While some, such as NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco, may still have seen Dwelley as a roster option prior to Jalen Hurd’s injury, the fact of the matter is that keeping Dwelley around with other weapons such as Hurd, Kittle, Reed, and other bigger-bodied pass-catchers was always going to be a tough call.

Unlike Kittle and rookie tight end Charlie Woerner, Dwelley isn’t a strong blocker, meaning his being on the field can tip Kyle Shanahan’s plan a bit in the way that Kittle and even Reed would not.

But with Hurd being out of the picture for 2020, Dwelley may benefit by being able to stay around in San Francisco as a similar player to Hurd in many ways.

Dwelley’s not nearly as quick or bruising as Hurd is, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t slide in as a move tight end or H-back option. He won’t be a runner out of the backfield, but he can be moved around the formation, even if not to the same level as Hurd.

This might mean Shanahan and general manager John Lynch elect to keep four tight ends, with Kittle, Reed, Dwelley, and Woerner all staying around instead of a higher number of wide receivers.

Dwelley can be an interesting option for Shanahan off the bench, even if he isn’t quite the same player Hurd is.