49ers Need to Make Move at Overlooked Position

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

49ers Need to Make Move at Overlooked Position

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Sep 30, 2026 3:00 PM ET

The San Francisco 49ers have been tied to a wide receiver and defensive tackle in trade talks due to injuries at the positions. However, an underrated position the team should look to acquire is tight end.

San Francisco 49ers need to add a tight end

As things stand, they have George Kittle, Luke Farrell, and Brayden Willis. Willis has just 15 snaps this season, so he is a non-factor. Farrell has 92 snaps this season, but he has been a disappointment. He has also seen his role decline.

Farrell played 46 snaps in the 49ers' opener. Then, he played 28 snaps in Week 2 and just 18 snaps in Week 3. He went from 70% of the offensive snaps to 54%, and now to 33%.

So, the team hardly has a second tight end they trust at this point. This is an issue because it is limiting their playbook.

As things stand, the 49ers rank 26th in the number of 12-personnel they run. That is one running back and two tight ends. However, they lead the NFL in Expected Points Added per pass attempt when running that personnel, at 1.11 according to SumerSports. The next highest is 0.72. They are by far the best passing offense in the NFL with two tight ends on the field.

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They are also 10th in EPA/rush from this look.

One reason they do not use two tight ends is because of Kyle Juszczyk. However, they are leaning on their fullback a bit too much, and it would be best to have versatility. They run the most 21-personnel in the NFL by a good bit. That is two backs and a tight end.

They are 43%, while the next highest is 31%. They are fifth in EPA/play from this look, but that is at 0.13. So, they have been much more efficient passing with a second tight end compared to the added fullback. They are rushing the ball a bit more efficiently from that look, which makes sense because Juszczyk is a strong blocking option.

While San Francisco is hyper-efficient out of 12-personnel, that is a bit of a smaller sample size. Still, it is clear that the more looks they can show, the tougher it will be to defend their offense. However, as things stand, they do not have a tight end capable of forcing teams to fear this look.

Will they stop running as much 12-personnel, or add a better tight end?

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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