While San Francisco 49ers tight end Brayden Willis is probably happy he got an all-expenses paid trip to Australia, the fact that the Niners just cut him opened the possibility that he would have to make the 17-hour journey back to the United States.
That obviously would have been unfortunate for him, but thankfully, the Niners were able to re-sign Willis to the practice squad so he can stay put.
The fact San Francisco was willing to lose him is good news on George Kittle, though.
Willis made the initial 53-man roster, and it seemed Kittle might not be ready for the regular-season opener despite a near-miraculous comeback from last January's Achilles tear. But if the 49ers were willing to put Willis on waivers where another team could have potentially claimed him, then they must feel reasonably good about Kittle’s chances to play in Week 1.
It's not a huge shock that San Francisco was able to retain Willis. He hasn’t done much in his first three seasons, so teams clearly weren't stumbling over one another to claim him.
Brayden Willis move indicates 49ers feel good about George Kittle's health
No matter who is active on game day, the Niners should be in relatively good shape at tight end. Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell are both decent options as Tonges proved he’s a more than capable receiver last year and Farrell is known as more of a blocker.
Plus, one can’t forget fullback Kyle Juszczyk who can play pretty much any position on the field if needed. He can certainly play tight end if that’s what the Niners need, which is why he’s such a useful and valuable player.
Where things might get hairy is if one of their tight ends goes down with an injury during practice ahead of the game. That could force the Niners to make some sort of move, although they do have Khalil Dinkins on the practice squad, currently, so he’s a guy who could be elevated. Dinkins is an undrafted free agent, though, so if Tonges went down and Kittle was unable to go, they’d have Farrell and Dinkins, two guys who aren’t really receiving threats at all.
Still, the main hope is that Kittle will be good enough to play. He obviously shouldn’t play the entire game, and it would probably be smart if he was only out there for about half of the offensive snaps.
But if the Niners were comfortable with the possibility of letting Willis go, it probably means there is a good chance Kittle will be out there.
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