The San Francisco 49ers have a nine-time Pro Bowler in the building ready to take over for George Kittle.
Wait, what?
Seriously.
The 49ers' star tight end Kittle is out for at least four weeks after being placed on Injured Reserve. Everyone is looking at Luke Farrell and Jake Tonges to replace him.
Except there's another option: Kyle Juszczyk.
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He's a nine-time Pro Bowl selection as a fullback, not a tight end, true. But he's also always been a solid blocker and pass catcher.
And in Week 1, via ESPN's Nick Wagoner, Juszczyk lined up more times as an in-line tight end (15) than as a fullback.
"Juszczyk told ESPN in August that he's been dividing his time in meetings between the running backs and the tight ends for the first time in his career," Wagoner writes. "... That's not to say Juszczyk will be playing tight end exclusively, but the line is blurred enough between the two positions that Juszczyk could at least help fill the Kittle void."
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Clearly, the 49ers don't want to be without Kittle. But between the promising outing by Tonges, and the two catches for 32 yards by Juszczyk, they at least have options in the TE room. And Farrell is one of the best blockers at his position in the league.
The bigger concern is the absence of QB Brock Purdy for multiple weeks with a toe injury.
If Mac Jones can be effective, this mish-mosh of tight ends can be just fine. But if Jones struggles, it might not be pretty.
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