Grading the 49ers Tight Ends at the Bye Week

Someone on the offense had to step up once Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk went down, and so far no one has stepped up more than Kittle.

Oct 27, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) questions the flag thrown after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The 49ers have the week off, so let's grade them position by position based solely on what they've done this season. So far, we've graded the quarterback, the running backs and the wide receivers.

POSITION: Tight end

NAMES: George Kittle, Eric Saubert

GRADE: A-Plus

COMMENTS: The 49ers still haven't found a no. 2 tight end worth playing more than a handful of snaps per game. Eric Saubert currently is the no. 2 tight end and he's a fine run blocker, but he doesn't do much to help the team on passing plays as a pass-blocker or as a receiver.

Who cares, though? The 49ers have George Freaking Kittle.

No disrespect to Saubert, but this grade reflects the outstanding season Kittle has had. Someone on the offense had to step up once Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk went down, and so far no one has stepped up more than Kittle. In seven games, he has 40 catches on 49 targets and he leads the 49ers with 503 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. And he just turned 31. He hasn't been the go-to guy in the 49ers' passing game in five years. Now he's playing like he's 26. Makes you wonder what he could have done if Kyle Shanahan had called more passes for him the past few seasons.

Kittle has emerged as elite red-zone weapon who can make contested catches over multiple defenders. And he still is a devastating blocker and a great YAC threat. He's the best tight end in the NFL now that Travis Kelce officially is declining. And if Kittle stays healthy, he'll be a Hall of Famer one day, too.

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