Levine Toilolo rumors: Top 3 landing spots

The Atlanta Falcons released tight end Levine Toilolo to clear cap space, and the former fourth-round pick is looking for a new team for the first time in his career.

The Atlanta Falcons may have hoped that Levine Toilolo would be their heir apparent to Tony Gonzalez, but it never worked out that way.

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Toilolo has had a remarkably healthy career, missing only one game in the 2017 season, but hasn’t produced the kind of numbers the Falcons would have hoped for from a top pass-catching weapon.

The Falcons released Toilolo with a post-June 1 designation, so he won’t be involved in the initial free-agency scrum. Still, a number of teams might look to bring him in to start training camp.

His best season came in 2016, when he totaled 264 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions, averaging 20.3 yards per catch.

There are a number of suitors that could be interested in filling out their depth chart at tight end by bringing Toilolo on board.

Best Fits

1. Chicago Bears

There’s no question that the Bears will be rolling with Adam Shaheen as their No. 1 tight end heading into the 2018 season, but Chicago could really use a second player at the position who specializes in blocking. That’s especially true after the Bears lost Zach Miller in 2017, with his return to football in jeopardy. Toilolo is one of the best blocking tight ends on the market this season.

2. San Francisco 49ers 

The 49ers aren’t necessarily tight-end needy, especially given how George Kittle came on last season. But given that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spent years moving Toilolo around the field in Atlanta as its former offensive coordinator, it stands to reason that his ears perked up when he saw that Toilolo became available. Shanahan loves to sub in tight ends and fullbacks as much as possible to confuse defenses, and he could add to his stable of weapons with his former player.

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3. Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks announced that they won’t be re-signing tight end Jimmy Graham for the 2018 season, and Luke Wilson is headed for free agency. Seattle needs to re-load at the position, and Toilolo would at least take care of its blocking needs. The Seahawks didn’t use Graham as a pass-catcher as effectively as they could have, but Toilolo would help ensure the success of their run game and Russell Wilson’s RPO plays.