The 49ers Absolutely Should Not Sign This Post-Draft Free Agent
The San Francisco 49ers are going to be linked to a lot of free-agent tight ends between now and the start of training camp. It makes sense because George Kittle might not be ready to start the season on the active list, and the team is thin without him. However, one name that does not make sense for the team is Darren Waller.
The San Francisco 49ers are unlikely to sign Darren Waller in free agency
Tyler Dragon of USA Today recently went through the top free agents available and tried to find a home for each one. Waller, he said that the 49ers were the best fit.
Waller exceeded expectations in Mike McDaniel's systems after the tight end came out of retirement. His six touchdown receptions were tied for a team-high in Miami last season. McDaniel comes from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, which would make the transition for Waller easier.Tyler Dragon
While it is fair that McDonald and Shanahan have similar schemes and the transition would be easy for Waller, it does not make it a smart fit for the 49ers. Waller only had 283 yards last year. While the 49ers do need help replacing Kittile, they have Jake Tonges, who had 366 yards last year in that role. Waller is much older than Tonges and does not quite have the juice that Tonges does.
The 49ers need a tight end, but it is less about replacing the receiving that Kittle had and more about replacing his blocking. Tonges was not nearly as good a blocker as Kittle, and the team signed Luke Farrell to help as a blocker, but he was a disappointment in his first year with the 49ers.
The run game success was night and day different with Kittle on and off the field. Waller is going to do nothing to help the run game when Kittle is out, so there is no strong reason to sign him.
David Njoku is a better fit because while he might be a better receiver than Tonges, he is certainly a better blocker than Tonges. His improvement as a blocker is what helped Harold Fanin take off as a receiver last year.
Other strong blocking options who are available include Will Dissly and John FitzPatrick. Both of them are coming off injuries, and neither of them has the production to make fans get excited with the signing. These names will not appear in articles speculating their landing spot. However, these are the types of tight ends that the team needs to be looking for this offseason to fill in for the loss of George Kittle. They need to find a competent blocker.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as The 49ers Absolutely Should Not Sign This Post-Draft Free Agent.
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 11:00 AM.