49ers roster: 5 players who won’t be back with San Francisco in 2023
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: 49ers tight end Ross Dwelley
It’s something of an anomaly seeing the Niners give more snaps to third-year tight end Charlie Woerner over the elder veteran, Ross Dwelley, who adequately backed up All-Pro George Kittle during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Dwelley is far more refined as a pass-catcher than Woerner, yet 2022 is marking the second consecutive year in which Woerner has surpassed Dwelley in offensive snap counts.
To date through seven weeks this season, Dwelley has only 71 offensive snaps to Woerner’s 134.
San Francisco is trying to work fellow veteran tight end Tyler Kroft back into the rotation after he’s missed much of the year with an injury, and it appears as if Woerner isn’t going anywhere anytime soon either.
That makes Dwelley a bit of an excess commodity, and it might not be shocking if the 49ers look to move him prior to the 2022 NFL trade deadline if there are any takers, which doesn’t seem too likely.
What’s more likely is for Dwelley to hit the NFL free agency market this offseason and not return to the Niners.