The San Francisco 49ers could use additional tight end depth, and former Seattle Seahawks tight end Cade Brewer will get his shot to do just that.
Brewer currently plays for the Arena League‘s Nashville Kats. The team announced on social media on Tuesday regarding Brewer’s shot with the 49ers — nearly two years after his short stint with the Seahawks in 2022.
“Join us in celebrating Cade Brewer being called up to the San Francisco 49ers,” the Kats social media team wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Best of luck, Cade —we’re all rooting for you!”
The team’s post and website didn’t specify if he signed a free agent contract or received a minicamp invite. However, the 49ers have minicamp in May and June, and he would likely need to do well at both in order to make the team during training camp in July and August.
“This is exactly what we want for our Kats players,” head coach Dean Cokinos said via the team’s website. “Sure, we will miss Cade as a person and a player. But through our evaluation processes for all our players, we want to identify players with a high ceiling who are also engaged in our community.”
Brewer made an impression in his lone game with the Kats with three receptions for 58 yards. The former Texas standout played for the Longhorns from 2017 to 2021 where he caught 22 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns.
He signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and Brewer played in two preseason games where he tallied three receptions for 17 yards. Seattle waived at the end of training camp.
49ers Hurting for Tight End Depth
San Francisco can use the tight end depth because there’s little after George Kittle. Last season, Kittle had 65 receptions for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns, and the 49ers had a significant drop off in production after him.
Charlie Woerner had the next most among tight ends with three catches for 32 yards, but the former Georgia standout left for the Atlanta Falcons on a three-year, $12 million deal. Ross Dwelley was the only other 49ers besides Woerner or Kittle to catch a pass last season, and Dwelley had one 12-yard reception.
San Francisco drafted two tight ends in 2023, but neither panned out. Brayden Willis had 48 offensive snaps, but he didn’t catch any passes. Cameron Latu spent the season on injured reserve.
The 49ers didn’t grab a tight end in this year’s draft amid eight picks. Instead, the team drafted two wide receivers, a running back, two offensive linemen, and three defensive backs.
Cade Brewer the Second Tight End Picked Up by 49ers
However, the 49ers made Brewer the second tight end addition since the draft. The Niners previously signed former Furman tight end Mason Pline as an undrafted free agent.
Pline had 31 receptions for 282 yards and four touchdowns last year for the Paladins. Before Furman, Pline played at Division II powerhouse Ferris State where he played in 11 games but only had two catches in 2022 during a playoff and national title run.
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