49ers expected to sign 10-year veteran tight end [report]

The 49ers are bringing in much-needed depth to what is arguably their weakest position group behind George Kittle. San Francisco's tight end room has a lot of unproven youth and one underwhelming veteran in Eric Saubert.

Now, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo , the 49ers have signed former longtime Commanders tight end Logan Thomas.

It will be the second time that the 49ers have brought in a former Washington veteran tight end to play with Kittle. They attempted it in 2020 with the oft-injured Jordan Reed, but he and Kittle were mostly unable to stay on the field at the same time in that injury-riddled campaign.

Thomas, a 2014 fourth-round Cardinals draft pick out of Virginia Tech, began his career as a quarterback before transitioning to tight end. He had one breakout season in 2020, going for 72 catches, 670 yards and 6 TDs. The soon-to-be 33-year-old's second-best season came last year, when he tallied 55 catches for 496 yards and 4 TDs in 16 games for one of the league's worst teams.

The addition is substantial given that the 49ers' tight end room around Kittle was composed of Saubert, the still-not-healthy Cam Latu, Brayden Willis, undrafted free agent Mason Pline, and Jake Tonges. Depth was needed, and now the 49ers have a player who, if healthy, (as has mostly been the case aside from 2021, when he tore his ACL), will be a very solid TE2.