Why the 49ers Should Sign Another Tight End to Pair With George Kittle

Free agency is a tool to improve an area of need.

For the San Francisco 49ers, one of their area of needs could be tight end.

George Kittle, despite being a phenomenal player, is more of an injury prone type than not. The guy just struggles to reel in a healthy season. Whether that is just pure bad luck or the way he is used, he ultimately always gets hurt. When he is, the 49ers are a bit stretched out of options.

That is why the 49ers should sign another tight end to pair with Kittle.

Gathering adequate depth behind him with one solid player would make his loss minimal. It is impossible to have any tight end in the league replace what Kittle does. It's why the 49ers cashed him out two seasons ago to retain his unique services as a monstrous blocker and smooth receiver.

But the tight end market this free agency period is actually quite strong. The 49ers could sign someone where if they get to the point that Kittle does miss time, it won't be a huge loss as it has in season's past.

Players like Zach Ertz and Robert Tonyan Jr. are a couple of names to list off. It gets better after them. The amount of tight ends available makes it almost impossible for the 49ers to not dabble in the market.

And since it is an oversaturated market, the 49ers have no excuse to not land a solid proven talent or someone with intriguing potential on a cost-effective deal. 2022 will need to improve the talent in an already talented offense for the 49ers.

They have to ensure there are limited hiccups with Trey Lance and his development. Having a quality tight end behind Kittle where the drop-off isn't massive can help keep the offense on track, which keeps Lance on track. Plus, it doesn't hurt to add another talent to give Kyle Shanahan to attack with. So the offense could become more efficient with both tight ends along with a contingency for Kittle.

I'll reveal which five tight ends the 49ers should go after on Wednesday.