Veteran tight end Logan Thomas returned to the 49ers last week after the club begrudgingly let him go a couple weeks earlier.
It appears as if the 49ers want to keep Thomas around — whether that is with a spot on the 53-man roster or on the practice squad.
“Logan wasn't a guy we wanted to let go of,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday on a conference call with Bay Area reporters.
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“He just had his injury and stuff. We had some other roster issues and we told him if we were able to get him back on before this went, as long as he got healthy we would.”
Thomas, 33, caught 55 passes for 496 yards and four touchdowns last season with the Washington Commanders. The 49ers signed him to a one-year contract in the offseason.
After Thomas missed some practice time with a hamstring issue, the 49ers released him on Aug. 9. He was re-signed last week but did not play in the team’s preseason finale on Friday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“We had a spot for him and I think he had some opportunities with other teams also,” Shanahan said. “But he wanted to come back here, and we felt very fortunate for that because we definitely wanted him back.”
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have kept four tight ends on their 53-man roster in recent seasons. There does not appear to be a clear-cut depth chart established behind five-time Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle.
Thomas re-joins a group of tight ends that also feature Brayden Willis, Eric Saubert, Cameron Latu, Jake Tonges and undrafted rookie Mason Pline.
Teams across the NFL must trim their rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 players by 1 p.m. on Tuesday.