Getty San Franciso 49ers tight end George Kittle with Travis Kelce.
When the San Francisco 49ers take the field against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, Jason Kelce, whose Philadelphia Eagles will be on bye week, has a vested interest in whom he’d like to see win. With his brother Travis, a perennial top three tight end for the Chiefs, and his original coach, Andy Reid, running the show in KC, Kelce will likely be rooting against the Niners, even if he’ll be one of the few fans in Levi Stadium who will feel that way.
On the Kelce brothers’ “New Heights” podcast, Jason offered some advice to George Kittle, the Niners’ tight end extraordinaire, that will surely make San Francisco fans smile: Be a worse blocker and you’ll get more targets.
“Well, it’s George’s fault [that he doesn’t get enough targets because] he’s such a good blocker,” Jason said. “Listen, George, if you want more targets, just be sh***ier at blocking. They’ll throw the ball more and you’ll get more targets. It’s that simple.”
After Travis pushed back, saying that’s not how offenses work, his older brother doubled down on his opinion.
“Stop being such a great dominant run blocker and you’ll get more targets, George,” Jason said.
Through four games this season, Kittle is averaging 6.3 targets per game and has yet to score a touchdown. During his breakout 2018 season, he averaged 8.5 targets per game and wound up with 1,377 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Dre Greenlaw Echoes Jason Kelce’s Praise for George Kittle
When asked on October 19 about the similarities and differences between Kelce and Kittle, Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw provided an evaluation similar to Kelce’s.
“George likes to block. George is a better blocker,” he said, according to Rob Guerrera of Niners Nation. I mean, I don’t care if [Travis Kelce] knows, but he’s still a great player. He’s one of the best tight ends to play this game. The way that he gets open, the way the he can move in and out of his routes. The way Andy Reid just calls up plays to get him open. He’s still, and George Kittle, are some of the best tight ends that we’ve seen in this league – but year I still think George is a better blocker.”
Though some may suggest that Mark Andrews deserves a spot in the conversation for the Top-2 tight ends in the NFL, as he’s currently tied with Kelce for the most yards at the position through six games, for the most part, Greenlaw didn’t say anything salacious in his comments. If anything, his words actually add credence to Jason Kelce’s assertion that he needs more snaps as a receiver and less as a blocker.
PFF Provides Interesting Insight on Kittle’s Run Defense
While Kittle may have a rightfully earned reputation for being one of the best run-blocking tight ends in the day, how has he fared recently, specifically through the first six weeks of the 2022 NFL season? Well, according to Pro Football Focus, the results have been interesting.
Of the 62 tight ends who have logged enough run-blocking snaps to qualify for a ranking, Kittle ranks 10th with a run-blocking grade of 65.4. Playing an average of 19 run-blocking snaps per game versus 35 passing snaps, Kittle actually ranks behind both Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce in terms of run-blocking grade, which is certainly an interesting development that few players have discussed to date. Is this the opening sign of a changing of the guard, or will Kittle’s production even out with more offensive snaps? This story is certainly one to watch moving forward.