Tonges played all 14 of his snaps on special teams in Thursday's 12-6 loss to the Rams. Tonges has suited up for all 14 of the 49ers' games, but the reserve tight end has yet to draw a target. He's seen the overwhelming majority of his playing time on special teams, as he's logged just 30 snaps on offense all season.
Tonges was one of three tight ends kept on the 49ers' active roster heading into Week 1 of the regular season. San Francisco surprisingly kept the undrafted Tonges over 2023 third-round pick Cameron Latu when finalizing rosters earlier this week. The latter was picked up by Cleveland as an addition to its practice squad, while Tonges immediately becomes one of the primary backups to starter George Kittle after earning zero snaps in 2023 as a reserve. Now the question becomes how Tonges is deployed behind his superstar teammate -- in terms of playing time and targets -- compared to fellow backup Eric Saubert.