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George Kittle hasn’t gotten the chance to get his 2022 NFL season going by missing two games for the San Francisco 49ers. And outside of the “People’s Tight End,” the 49ers only rolled with two tight ends against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, September 18.
Now, newcomer Tyler Kroft is expected to miss some time with what head coach Kyle Shanahan called an MCL sprain.
There’s no telling when Kittle will return to the huddle. But, the 49ers could be in the process of addressing their depth in the TE room…with a familiar face.
‘Big-Bodied Red Zone Target’ Visiting 49ers
According to Heavy Sports NFL insider Matt Lombardo on Tuesday, September 20, the 49ers are working out Garrett Walston — a 6-foot-4, 245-pound specimen who played in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
If the name rings a bell for 49er fans who follow rookies, the former Tar Heel Walston first signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent out of UNC. He also joined the roster with fellow Tar Heel in linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel.
Walston at UNC & How He Joined 49ers the First Time
Walston arrived to North Carolina as a top 20 national tight end by 247sports.
Walston went on to catch 47 passes for 534 yards and scored 5 touchdowns in his career at Chapel Hill. His final two seasons saw him score twice. Walston was considered “a big piece” for the UNC offense.
Outside of his grabs, he was known to smack safeties into the turf on plays where he didn’t need to run routes.
NFL Draft expert Chad Reuter called Walston “agile and quick” for his size and also praised his blocking efforts.
Walston, though, went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. He eventually got signed by the 49ers on May 13, 2022 as an undrafted free agent. The 49ers then signed veteran tight end Troy Fumagalli four days later — prompting the franchise to waive Walston in order to make room for the veteran Fumagalli.
State of 49ers Tight End Room
Again, this is a unit that’s had to go without their All-Pro tight end and has had to deal with another significant injury — pointing to depth potentially needing to be filled this week.
While Fumagalli was added over Walston back in May, he has been with the team’s practice squad. Also, outside of Kittle, the 49ers have had to operate without Jordan Matthews in the offense as the seven-year veteran is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Currently, the 49ers are operating with three healthy tight ends in Kroft, Ross Dwelley, and Charlie Woerner. Of the three, Kroft has taken the most offensive snaps with 58 according to Pro Football Focus. And Kroft came over via the Buffalo Bills in free agency.
Dwelley, though, had an impactful game versus the Seahawks on two sides of the field — the first one on special teams:
And he’s become the only tight end — let alone the only 49er on the receiving side — to score a touchdown pass, which also occurred against Seattle and came when Jimmy Garoppolo had to step in for the injured Trey Lance:
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