49ers roster: 5 players who aren’t getting enough praise in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers Tight End Charlie Woerner
Unfortunately, George Kittle’s injury history has opened up the door for backup tight end Ross Dwelley to be something of a household name among Niners fans the last few years.
But in 2021, we’ve started to see a shift from Dwelley being the No. 2 guy to support Kittle over to the second-year pro, Charlie Woerner.
In truth, Woerner holds a skill Dwelley simply doesn’t: high-level blocking for the position. And while Dwelley might have been the more established receiving threat, the fact Woerner has now matched Dwelley’s receptions this season with four and only has 10 fewer yards receiving says a lot.
Plus, when you’re getting plays where Woerner is effectively taking out three separate players on a single run play, it’s not hard to see why San Francisco has shifted its attention from Dwelley to Woerner.
To put this to light, just check out the blocking grades from Pro Football Focus for both Kittle and Woerner this season:
- George Kittle
- Run blocking: 75.3
- Pass blocking: 78.0
- Charlie Woerner
- Run blocking: 72.6
- Pass blocking: 70.8
Not too far off the mark at all.
Woerner may still take a while to become that legitimate pass-catching threat. For now, however, he’s offering up the key contributions in other areas that make him an under-the-radar standout.