SF 49ers free agency: 5 role players Niners must re-sign in 2021

No. 4: SF 49ers Tight End Jordan Reed

George Kittle’s injury has technically made veteran tight end Jordan Reed a de facto starter, at least for the rest of 2020.

Reed wasn’t pegged to be the No. 1 option, of course, rather a complementary piece to Kittle’s prolific presence. Unfortunately, injuries to both players over the course of this season meant head coach Kyle Shanahan was never fully able to deploy two-tight end sets over the bulk of the season where both players were prolific pass-catchers.

And it’s something Shanahan clearly wanted during the offseason.

Reed, who has dealt with knee and ankle injuries this season, likely still has some mileage left in him at 30 years old. Sure, him missing all but five of the 10 total games the SF 49ers have played this season is a cause for concern. But that also likely drops his asking price to return on a relatively cheap deal in 2021.

Ensuring Reed remains paired with Kittle, at best, or at least as an option to back him up would go a long way towards ensuring Shanahan’s offense has plenty of weapons through the air.

Perhaps 2021 is the year in which we see both Reed and Kittle making their presence felt on the field at the same time.