With George Kittle sidelined by the Achilles injury he suffered in last year’s playoffs, the 49ers’ tight end room has been under a brighter spotlight this summer. Luke Farrell has been the one drawing attention in camp, and by all accounts he’s making the most of his second go-around in San Francisco.
Kittle said Farrell has stood out in training camp, and pointed to the value of another year in Kyle Shanahan’s system for the 28-year-old. Shanahan got that same message after Tuesday’s practice and said he sees the same thing.
“I would totally agree," Shanahan said. "I think he's definitely a lot more confident just knowing what he's doing.
I think when you go through a whole year, you know how to prepare for it, to me, a different way. I think he came in in OTAs prepared at a different level, and it's carried right over to training camp, and I think he's having a hell of a camp.”
Farrell’s first season with the 49ers was uneven, but he still ended up as the more steady No. 2 tight end. Jake Tonges, though, was the one who saw a bigger workload when Kittle missed time early in the season with a hamstring injury. Farrell played 404 snaps, just ahead of Tonges at 399.
The production, however, told a different story. Farrell finished with 11 catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns on 14 targets, while Tonges posted 34 receptions for 293 yards and five touchdowns on 46 targets.
Farrell is probably never going to be the kind of tight end who piles up big receiving numbers, and that naturally caps how much he can do in the passing game. Still, in an offense where multiple tight end looks are becoming more common, the better Farrell plays, the more options the 49ers have - no matter where his biggest value shows up.
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Kirks case has become especially tricky because the injury interruptions have stacked up alongside a dip in production, which puts him in the middle of a real cut conversation rather than a routine depth chart debate. Colby, meanwhile, is fighting a different kind of battle, one centered on the starting guard job and the sort of interior competition Kyle Shanahan and Chris Foerster tend to use as a true test of who can hold up when the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]