The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made quick work of releasing tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins Friday afternoon. Seferian-Jenkins was booked for a DUI earlier today, and the team decided enough was enough. He had various issues, including getting kicked out of practice during training camp.
I saw multiple tweets asking if the 49ers should try and claim the third year tight end. The one-time second round pick has significant size and athleticism, and fantasy football owners have been regularly projecting a breakout season for him. The problem is he has just never been a particularly good tight end in the NFL. He had 21 receptions for 221 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, and then another 21 receptions for 338 yards and four touchdowns last season. He had three receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown in two games this season.
If Seferian-Jenkins could put it all together, he could be a pretty beastly offensive weapon. The problem is it just has not come together, and I don’t see it happening anytime soon. Maybe getting waived will help him get his head on straight. Or maybe he ends up washing out of the NFL and being forgotten in the next year or two. I wouldn’t put anything past Trent Baalke in terms of signing or claiming a player with off-field issues, but I just don’t see it happening with Austin Seferian-Jenkins.