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Why Kyle Shanahan Likes 49ers Tight End Eric Saubert

The 49ers have listed George Kittle as doubtful to play this Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

Grant Cohn

August 18, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Eric Saubert (82) before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
August 18, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Eric Saubert (82) before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers have listed George Kittle as doubtful to play this Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

That means backup tight end Eric Saubert most likely will make his first career start with the 49ers. Saubert, 30, has started 16 games in his career and has caught 38 passes for 318 yards and 2 touchdowns.

On Friday, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked what he likes about Saubert. Here's what Shanahan said courtesy of the 49ers public relations department.

Q: Kittle potentially out, what have you thought of TE Eric Saubert’s play so far?

SHANAHAN: “I thought he’s done a hell of a job. He's stepped in well. Kittle was cramping most of the game, so he had to do a lot throughout the Minnesota game. He's been real consistent since he's been here. If he's got to do it all, he’s up for the challenge. He's shown he can help us in the passing and the run game.”

Q: What intrigued you about him when you acquired him in the first place? What did you like about him?

SHANAHAN: “Just the all-around player he is. Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley had been here for a while. Real solid, good players for us. Special teams, running the ball. They both have made a bunch of big-time catches and thought Eric was a similar player. He's done real well on special teams. He's blocked very well and every time his number is called, he usually makes a play.”

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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