49ers could revive Jordan Reed’s career opposite George Kittle

The San Francisco 49ers are looking for someone to form a dangerous tight end duo with George Kittle and Jordan Reed looks like a perfect fit.

George Kittle is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, so it’s not an obvious position of need for the San Francisco 49ers. But according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic (subscription required), they are looking to add a receiving tight end to pair with Kittle.

Last month, a report surfaced pointing to the 49ers’ interest in trading for New York Giants’ tight end Evan Engram. That would be a big get and it would also come with a significant cost in terms of what they’d have to send back to the Giants. So San Francisco seems sure to go down a couple of notches on the totem pole.

After being released by the Washington Redskins, Jordan Reed got little interest on the open market. The Los Angeles Rams reportedly spoke to him, and the Seattle Seahawks had him in for a visit before typical offseason things were shut down.

The concern with Reed is health. He missed the entire 2019 season due to another concussion. A litany of injuries has cost him 47 of a possible 112 games in his NFL career. Retirement feels like an option.

Reed is familiar to 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan who was the offensive coordinator in Washington in 2013 when Reed had 45 catches for 499 yards (11.1 yards per catch) and three touchdowns over nine games as a rookie.

If he’s healthy, Reed is still a talent upgrade over Ross Dwelley and sixth-round rookie Charlie Woerner behind Kittle. And the 49ers are looking for just such an upgrade.

A part-time role behind and alongside Kittle, where he can be deployed in the offensive design of Shanahan, looks perfect Reed. San Francisco’s offense is already looking dangerous, and two highly capable tight ends would be significant icing on that cake.