5 49ers whose NFL careers may be over if they don’t make 53-man roster
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers tight end Tyler Kroft
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has long sought a quality No. 2 tight end to pair with George Kittle, yet the results over the last few years haven’t exactly been stellar. And despite the 49ers retaining Kittle’s primary backup since 2019, Ross Dwelley, the addition of veteran tight end Tyler Kroft during the offseason could potentially shake things up a bit.
On the positive side, at least for Kroft, he could feasibly land that secondary role behind Kittle, provided the former emulates his best season as a pro, 2017, in which he recorded 404 yards and seven touchdowns with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Read More: Tyler Kroft has a real chance of making 49ers’ 53-man roster
The problem, though, is that was five years ago. Since then, Kroft’s production has fallen dramatically, and he’s also been largely inhibited by various injuries, too.
True, Kroft’s path to a roster spot with the Niners got a little easier in the wake of fellow tight end Jordan Matthews suffering a torn ACL during training camp. But with Dwelley, Charlie Woerner, Troy Fumagalli and Tanner Hudson vying for a spot, too, Kroft will have to show his injuries are behind him and that he can play at a good level prior to Week 1.
If not, the 29-year-old oft-injured veteran might not have too many suitors out on the open market.