There could be a significant change coming for the San Francisco 49ers’ offense.

General manager John Lynch in an interview with Matt Maiocco on the 49ers Talk podcast talked about the importance of free agent tight end Luke Farrell. Farrell has only 36 catches in four seasons as a pro, but Lynch believes Farrell could have a positive impact on All-Pro TE George Kittle by allowing Kittle to get out into routes more often.

For Farrell to assist Kittle in that way, it would mean an uptick in multiple TE sets for the 49ers.

Last season San Francisco rolled with multiple TE personnel on 13.6 percent of their offensive snaps according to Sumer Sports. That was down from 22.3 percent in 2023, and 24.2 percent the year before that. Last year Kittle also stayed in to pass block on 11.6 percent of the team’s passing plays according to Pro Football Focus — his highest mark since 2021. In 2023 when they played more multi-TE personnel, he was on pass blocking on 7.0 percent of the team’s pass plays. The year before that he was at 7.6 percent.

On a club with so many question marks at wide receiver, having Kittle available as often as possible makes a ton of sense. He led the team with 1,106 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches. He was also second on the team in targets and first in receptions per game. Kittle is simply too valuable to have to stay in as a blocker on pass plays more than 10 percent of the time. That’s where Farrell and potentially the return of Ross Dwelley this offseason could open the door for Kittle to spend less time in pass protection.

We may not see San Francisco’s multiple TE usage soar above the 24.2 percent mark it reached two seasons ago, but we should see a dramatic uptick from their 13.6 percent usage rate last season now that the 49ers have a player who can reliably stay in to pass block while Kittle continues taking on the responsibilities that come with being a quarterback’s No. 1 target.