Shanahan: Tonges out for the year with a torn MCL

Tonges injured his MCL in Week 1. His return timeline has not yet been reported. With Tonges sidelined, TE George Kittle’s ramp-up period could be expedited. Backup TE Luke Farrell should also see more playing time, though he is not fantasy-relevant. The 49ers correspondingly promoted WR KhaDarel Hodge to the active roster and signed TE
Jack Stoll.

Shanahan told reporters that it “doesn’t look good.” The 27-year-old tight end suffered the injury near the end of the first half, and it sounds like San Francisco will be without the backup tight end for some time. Luke Ferrell will likely see more snaps with Tonges unavailable.

Tonges finished without a target before exiting near the end of the second quarter. The 27-year-old will have a chance to return in Week 2 against the Giants, but his status for that game — and the weeks after — should be updated by early next week.

Tonges limped off the field after suffering his knee injury near the end of the first half. Assuming he doesn’t return, Luke Ferrell will get the snaps behind George Kittle and feature in two tight end sets.

He gets $5.5 million guaranteed. If George Kittle’s rehab from a torn Achilles runs into the regular season — which seems likely, even with all the positivity around it — Tonges should be a solid low-end TE1 while Kittle misses time. He averaged 4.5 catches for 44.5 yards in the games Kittle missed early last season, adding five touchdowns along the way.

He left the game just after halftime with an injured ankle, playing only 29 of 60 snaps. Filling in admirably for George Kittle when he went on IR early in the season (and again when he missed Week 17), Tonges caught five touchdowns and averaged 4.5 catches for 44.5 yards before Kittle returned in Week 7. He’ll be a restricted free agent in 2026, and the 49ers would likely love to have him back to fill in while Kittle rehabs his torn Achilles. Tonges’ situation would leave him as a low-end fill-in TE1 while Kittle is hurt assuming no one tries the rarely-seen “steal away a restricted free agent” gambit.

Tonges had a surprisingly quiet box score after coming on in relief of an injured George Kittle in the second quarter. With Kittle devastatingly suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon, Tonges will resume fill-in duties as the Niners’ primary pass-catching seam stretcher. He could be needed for in the neighborhood of 5-7 looks against the Seahawks in the Divisional Round.

Playing through an ankle injury of late, Kittle planted with extreme force in the second quarter and suffered what appeared to be a ruptured Achilles tendon. We, obviously, are not doctors, but these have become sadly easy to spot. Even were the worst-case scenario somehow avoided, Kittle is obviously done for the day and almost certainly for any potential 49ers Super Bowl run. The question then quickly becomes if the 32-year-old can be ready by next Week 1. At this stage of the offseason, it is not terribly likely, even though Achilles timelines have condensed in recent seasons. Jake Tonges is the next man up on Sunday and for however long San Francisco can stay alive.

Great news. Kittle will be a limited participant in Tuesday evening’s walkthrough. The talented tight end sat out in Week 17 after missing practice all week. Backup TE Jake Tonges caught 7-of-8 targets for 60 yards and one touchdown in Kittle’s stead. If Kittle is unable to face the Seahawks on Saturday, Tonges will again be a viable streamer.

Tonges was active throughout as a primary outlet for quarterback Brock Purdy over the middle of the field, also seeing numerous designed targets in the flat. His target total was bolstered by a game in which the two teams combined for over 940 yards of total offense and 80 points. Although the outburst in production was a welcome sight to fantasy mangers that scooped Tonges as a plan B option to Kittle, his role appears likely to take a significant hit with Kittle expected back for Week 18 against the Seahawks.