Signing Free Agent TE Austin Hooper Could be on the 49ers Radar

Addressing needs is how the 49ers have been approaching this free agency period.

It started with Javon Hargrave to give them a boost in pass rushing, then it followed with Sam Darnold to insulate the quarterback room. Signing players has slowed down a bit for the 49ers, but that is probably because they are waiting for the market to die down to make free agents cheaper to sign.

One position that is moving at a snail's pace in free agency is tight end, which is a need of the 49ers as they have only George Kittle rostered. There are plenty of solid free agent tight ends worth bringing in, but one player the 49ers could have on their radar is Austin Hooper.

Three years ago, the 49ers were interested in signing Hooper before the Browns swooped in with a much more lucrative deal. Kyle Shanahan is familiar with Hooper due to his tenure as offensive coordinator of the Falcons. Ever since he signed with the Browns, Hooper has steadily declined and didn't even finish the length of his deal in Cleveland. They ended up cutting him after just two seasons. Soon after, he signed on with the Titans where he made little impact.

Hooper hasn't come close to his career high mark in 2019 where he had 75 catches for 787 yards and six touchdowns. It's clear that his value is low, and with the tight end market barely moving, the number to sign him will only remain at a bargain. The 49ers should be in on Hooper. He isn't nearly as good as he was in 2019, but he makes for a sweet second option and compliment to Kittle.

Signing Hooper and then drafting a tight end would be a great move by the 49ers. That way whenever the rookie appears promising, they can always move him up the depth chart. If the rookie needs time, then they have Hooper who can hold it down and be useful until then. It makes too much sense to sign Hooper and I think it is something we could see occur within the next few weeks.