The 49ers tight end room is going to be crowded come training camp. Second-year TE Cameron Latu is expected to return for camp after undergoing a procedure on his knee that cost him all of last season. He’ll join recently-signed TE Logan Thomas in the competition for roster spots behind George Kittle.
Latu, who is entering his second season after the 49ers selected him No. 101 overall in last year’s draft, missed his entire rookie season because of a knee injury. San Francisco placed him on IR before final cuts which made Latu ineligible to return even if he’d been healthy enough to.
The expectation was always that he’d be back in time to compete for a roster spot in 2024. Now that he’s gotten through his rehab without any setbacks he is officially on track to return for camp according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. Latu did not participate in OTAs and is not participating in mandatory minicamp.
It’ll be a bit of an uphill climb to a roster spot for Latu. His fellow 2023 draft pick Brayden Willis made enough inroads last season to be active for the Super Bowl. Thomas is probably the frontrunner for the TE2 spot going into camp. Newcomers Mason Pline and Eric Saubert will also be in the mix during camp, along with Jake Tonges who spent most of last year on the 49ers’ practice squad.
Still, the competition behind Kittle is wide open and getting a full training camp should help Latu make some headway in that battle.
Last preseason Latu played in all three games and caught four of his six targets for 55 yards and one touchdown.
