The San Francisco 49ers have yet to find a reliable number two tight end option behind George Kittle. Charlie Woerner signed with the Atlanta Falcons, and Ross Dwelley remains a free agent.
The 49ers hope they can sign a restricted free agent after the team signed him to an offer sheet.
According to Dave Birkett, the 49ers signed Brock Wright to a 3-year, $12 million offer sheet.
The Lions applied the right of first refusal original round tender on Wright on March 7. This tender is a one-year, $2.985 million non-guaranteed deal in which Wright can sign offer sheets from other teams, and the Lions can match. If the Lions decide not to match the offer sheet, the Lions will not receive draft compensation since Wright went undrafted.
The Lions now have five days to match the offer.
Wright cemented himself into one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. He went undrafted in the 2021 NFL Draft, and the Lions signed him as an undrafted free agent.
After starting his rookie season on the practice squad, the Lions signed Wright to the active roster on November 8. Wright played in ten games, starting five, and had 12 receptions on 17 targets for 117 yards and two touchdowns in 301 (48%) offensive snaps.
Wright was the most productive in his second season primarily because the Lions traded T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings during the NFL Trade Deadline. He played in 17 games, starting ten, and had 18 receptions on 24 targets for 216 yards and four touchdowns in 591 (52%) offensive snaps.
Wright batted injuries and saw a dip in playing time in his third season. Wright played in 14 games, starting four, and had 13 receptions on 14 targets for 91 yards and one touchdown in 423 (44%) offensive snaps. He missed Weeks 16-18 because of a hip injury but managed to play in the Wild Card and the Divisional Round, recording one receptions for 29 yards. He fractured his forearm in the Divisional Round and missed the NFC Championship Game.
If the Lions decide not to match Brock Wright’s offer sheet, the 49ers will benefit from the signing because he is an upgrade over any of the backup tight ends on the roster. As it stands, the tight ends outside Kittle are Cameron Latu (he missed the entire season because of a meniscus injury), Brayden Willis (he played in seven games, didn’t record a stat, and only played in 48 offensive snaps in 2023), and Jake Tonges (he played in four games in 2022, didn’t record a stat in 16 snaps with the Bears, and was on the 49ers’ practice squad in 2023).
Wright is a guy who has started in 19 games and has 43 receptions for 424 yards and seven touchdowns in his career.
