49ers sign TE Niles Paul

Per Mike Garofolo, the San Francisco 49ers are signing former Washington tight end Niles Paul. Paul was drafted in the fifth round in the 2011 NFL Draft. He spent 2011-2017 with Washington, before playing 104 snaps with Jacksonville last season. Paul is a glorified tight end playing receiver. He’s 242 pounds, and can really, really run.

The move comes on the heels of the team announcing that Garret Celek will start training camp on the PUP list. Paul finished the season with ten receptions for 98 yards in six total games last season. He also started one game, before he was placed on the injured reserve with a knee injury. For the third time in four seasons, Paul ended up on injured reserve. Jacksonville released Paul in December. Replacing an injured player with a player coming off an injury. Oh yeah!

But, seriously, Paul has always been a high-end athlete that has flashed the ability to stretch the field. I love the idea of betting on athletes with Kyle Shanahan in charge. Speaking of, Shanahan was coaching in Washington with Paul, where he converted Paul from wide receiver to tight end.