The 49ers need to use this player more on offense

This player is a playmaker.

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

When George Kittle has missed games in the past, it has been devastating. It is hard to make up for his production as a blocker and in the passing game.

However, this year it has not been nearly the issue thanks to the emergence of Jake Tonges. Do the San Francisco 49ers have a legitimate threat in Tonges?

Should the San Francisco 49ers use Jake Tonges more often?

Kittle has essentially missed seven games. In those seven games, Tonges has 32 catches for 284 yards and four touchdowns. While it is tough to extrapolate this small of a sample, his per game averages of 4.5 catches, 40.5 yards, and 0.57 touchdowns would be 9th, 7th, and 3rd in the NFL, respectively. 

On a per-game basis, he is performing like a top ten tight end when he starts.

There are two ways to look at it. First, Tonges is a revelation. The 49ers found him; it took him some time to get going, but this is a legitimate threat and someone who can be important to an offense. 

Tonges essentially does not play when Kittle is healthy. The team will need to find ways to work him onto the field more often because otherwise, they are wasting an asset. From there, he could become a future piece, as he is only 26 years old. 

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The other end is that he has been in the NFL for three seasons before this and did not even record any statistics. He was a UDFA. The 49ers have had him for a few years and did not think much of him; they are just getting the most out of him because they have the best play caller in the NFL and two legitimate starting quarterbacks. 

Tonges is nice to have when Kittle is out, but there is a reason he does not play otherwise, and the team may be best trading for him, whatever value he currently has. They can find another UDFA with potential and get similar production out of him. 

It will be interesting to see how the 49ers handle Kittle in the regular season finale. The one seed is massively important, but it is not quite a playoff game because the season would not end if anything bad happened. 

So, the team could rest Kittle, and we could see Tonges is a huge spot against an elite defense. This week could go a long way in telling us what Tonges can be for this roster moving forward.