Which players are on 49ers' roster bubble following 2024 NFL Draft?
Niner Noise looks at which 49ers players are on the roster bubble with the 2024 NFL Draft now in the books.
By Peter Panacy
49ers bubble watch: Tight end
Lock: George Kittle, Eric Saubert
Strong bubble: Cameron Latu, Brayden Willis
Weak bubble: Jake Tonges
Long shot: Mason Pline*
At tight end, it's All-Pro George Kittle and...
The Niners face a potential emergency if Kittle suffers a serious injury, which has happened a few times in his career. After losing Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley (still unsigned) to free agency this offseason, San Francisco's original contingency plan was to attept to sign away Detroit Lions restricted free-agent tight end Brock Wright, only to see Detroit match San Francisco's offer.
Instead, the 49ers grabbed another veteran, Eric Saubert, who'll be Kittle's primary backup.
After that, it's fluid.
Cameron Latu flopped in training camp last year before landing on season-ending injured reserve, essentially redshirting his rookie season. The Niners likely want to try at least one more year with his development to protect their investment, but he's not fully safe.
That could open the door for someone like Brayden Willis or even Jake Tonges to emerge as a dark-horse TE3 on the depth chart.