One fringe roster player is jumping around the NFC.
The San Francisco 49ers’ season ended much earlier than they would have hoped or expected coming into the year, as an injury-riddled season kept them at the bottom of the NFC West standings and out of the playoffs following a Super Bowl loss last season.
Now, Kyle Shanahan and company have to pick up the pieces this offseason and figure out how to get back to the playoffs as they try to win a Super Bowl with this talented core of players. However, the offseason also means that some players will be headed elsewhere. On Tuesday, reserve tight end Cameron Latu signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“We have signed TE Cameron Latu to a reserve/future contract and have released WR Elijah Cooks from the Practice Squad,” the Eagles posted on social media on Tuesday.
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Latu was drafted by the 49ers with the 101st overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Alabama, but he was unable to find a consistent role on the team. George Kittle is obviously one of the best tight ends in football and Latu could never carve out a role on the active roster at the position. Now, he will get a chance to do so in Philadelphia.
Latu was a big time contributor for Alabama during the 2021 and 2022 seasons and was also a member of the team that won the National Championship in 2020. Over the course of his college career at Alabama, Latu caught 56 balls for 787 yards and 12 touchdowns. While the SEC is still a few steps down from the NFL, Latu showed during those two seasons that he can play with the big boys.
The Eagles aren’t in any desperate need of tight end help either, as they currently have Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra contributing for them at that position. Still, Latu is a smart flier for the Eagles to take on a talented pass catcher who can make plays in space when given the opportunity.
