The San Francisco 49ers have signed free agent tight end Brock Wright, but there’s a twist.
Wright, a restricted free agent from the Detroit Lions, signed an offer sheet with the 49ers in a rare restricted free agency move in the NFL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Now, the Lions will have five days to match the offer.
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If they elect to match the offer, Wright will remain in Detroit on the same contract he agreed to sign with the 49ers. If they decline to match the offer, Wright will join the defending NFC champion 49ers for the 2024 season.
Wright, 25, signed with the Lions in 2021 as an undrafted free agent. He spent four years at Notre Dame and had seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in his 48 games and 11 starts.
Wright was activated off the Lions’ practice squad in October of 2021 and made his NFL debut in a Week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. A few weeks later, Wright got his first NFL catch, and in the beginning of December, he caught his first NFL touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.
Wright ended up appearing in 10 games in his rookie season, reeling in 12 catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns. In 2022, Wright appeared in all 17 games for the Lions and caught 18 passes for 216 yards and four touchdowns, all career-highs.
Last year, Wright appeared in 14 games, catching 13 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. Wright is primarily a blocking tight end and was the Lions’ TE2 behind breakout rookie Sam LaPorta last season. They applied the restricted free agent tender to him in early March and now will have to decide if they want to retain him for the 2024 season.
As for the 49ers, they have star tight end George Kittle as their TE1, and he’s a factor both in the pass and run game. However, behind him, there aren’t very many proven commodities. Last year’s TE2 for the 49ers, Charlie Woerner, signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
As of now, the depth chart behind Kittle includes Cameron Latu, Brayden Willis, and Jake Tonges. Latu, a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, missed his entire rookie season after suffering a meniscus injury in the preseason.
Willis, a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, appeared in seven games and had one special teams tackle. As for Tonges, he signed with the 49ers practice squad at the end of September and signed a reserve/future contract in February.
He has one target in four career games with the Chicago Bears. The 49ers clearly need some help at tight end, and they’re hoping it comes in the form of Wright. But that’ll ultimately be up to the Lions.
Uncommon Knowledge
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