49ers depth chart: What happens if George Kittle gets hurt?

The 49ers don’t want to lose George Kittle to a lengthy injury in 2021. If they do, there will be some question marks about the depth chart.

A year ago, the San Francisco 49ers were somewhat insured against a lengthy injury to their All-Pro tight end, George Kittle.

This, in the wake of making now-retired veteran tight end Jordan Reed a late offseason free-agent pickup.

With Reed no longer in the league, the Niners are essentially back to a depth chart that still has a number of question marks behind their top offensive weapon heading into 2021, and the clear and obvious hope is they won’t need to dip too deep into the roster depth because Kittle will stay fully healthy, right?

Hopefully.

Related Story: George Kittle injury history, outlook for 2021

Kittle missed a total of eight games last year, the bulk of which was due to a broken foot. And while it’s admirable he returned from that injury late in the season amid a lost year in San Francisco, there’s still a good chance he misses games this year.

At least according to Sports Injury Predictor, which listed Kittle as the No. 1 injury-risk tight end heading into 2021 with a probability of missing 3.3 games this year.

The 49ers have to be prepared for this even if they’re hoping Kittle enjoys a clean slate of health. To do so, there could be a reliance on some of their depth tight ends, including one name who has already made an impact but others who are far bigger question marks.

Let’s take a look at that depth, which acts as Kittle insurance this season.