Grading the 49ers' Signing of Tight End Luke Farrell

For a few days, this signing almost made sense.

The 49ers signed former Jaguars blocking tight end Luke Farrell to a three-year deal worth $20.25 million. That's big money for a player who caught just 12 passes last season and never has scored a touchdown in his career.

It's also a strange signing for the 49ers because they don't use two-tight-end formations often. Last year's No. 2 tight end, Eric Saubert, caught a mere 11 passes and played just 377 snaps. And the 49ers paid him the veteran minimum.

So when the 49ers gave Farrell a three-year deal worth an average of almost $7 million annually, lots of people thought he signaled a philosophical shift in the 49ers offense. They would evolve into a two-tight-end offense and not a two-back offense with a fullback on the field 50 percent of the time.

This theory made sense when the 49ers released Kyle Juszczyk, but this morning they re-signed him. Which means Farrell is just an expensive replacement for Saubert and probably will have a similar impact.

Instead of spending so much money on a blocking tight end who will catch 10 to 15 passes this season, why not just use a sixth offensive lineman in the role? Someone who's already on the team. He might not be much of a receiver, but neither is Farrell. And the lineman would be the superior blocker.

What a waste of money.

GRADE: F