49ers work out TE Cooper Helfet on Tuesday

The San Francisco 49ers continue looking for ways to improve their roster, this time looking at the tight end position. Ian Rapoport is reporting the 49ers brought in former Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks tight end Cooper Helfet for a workout.

Helfet entered the league as a UDFA in 2012, and bounced around the Seahawks practice squad and offseason roster his first two years. In 2014 and 2015, he appeared in a combined 23 games with the Seahawks, catching 25 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns. He was eventually released by the Seahawks, and spent part of 2016 on the Raiders practice squad. He signed a reserve/future deal with the Raiders this offseason, but was eventually placed on their non-football injury list. The Raiders released him during roster cuts in early September.

The 49ers tight end depth chart has struggled to get much done this season. George Kittle has shown some signs, but has been inconsistent through four weeks. He’s made some solid catches, but also had some ugly drops. Garrett Celek and Logan Paulsen are better suited in blocking roles, but the entire group has been relatively underwhelming. They still have Cole Hikutini on the practice squad, so we’ll see what comes of this workout.