5 SF 49ers players to watch in Week 1 vs. Cardinals

No. 2: SF 49ers Tight End Jordan Reed

It is actually impossible to find a picture of this next player in a 49ers’ uniform, as he has yet to see the field for them even in the preseason. That player is tight end Jordan Reed, who the 49ers signed as a free agent this offseason after he left the Washington Football Team.

Reed is a great tight end, aside from his injury history, which consists of multiple concussions and is likely why he was let go by Washington.

When he has been on the field, Reed has been a great tight end, especially in the receiving game. Most speculation out of training camp assumes the Niners will use Reed primarily as a receiving tight end, with many speculating San Francisco wishes to use him and fellow tight end George Kittle in a similar attack to how the New England Patriots used the duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez many years ago.

Obviously the comparison is only referring to on the field, but when that attack worked for the Patriots, it worked very well.

If the SF 49ers truly do plan to use Kittle and Reed in this way, that should certainly be fun to watch.

For this reason, Reed is a player to watch on Sunday, both to see how he’s playing after his injury struggles, and to see how the Niners plan to incorporate him into their attack. Look to see if he’s used more as a blocker or receiver, and how often he and Kittle are on the field together to see whether or not the 49ers truly are trying to match the Gronk-Hernandez days.