SANTA CLARA – Eric Saubert has spent the majority of his NFL career trying to perfect the idea of being a blocking tight end. That’s key because all indications are that the journeyman will have to fill in for one of the best blocking tight ends in the game when the 49ers take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
With Friday’s announcement by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan that George Kittle is doubtful to play against the Rams, all eyes turned to Saubert.
The 30-year-old backup, who has 38 career receptions over his eight-year career, likely will get the starting call and the majority of tight end work if Kittle is unable to play.
If that turns out to be the case, Saubert is fully aware of the challenge he’ll likely face while filling in for the five-time Pro Bowl tight end.
“There’s a high standard of performance,” Saubert said Friday. “It’s really cool, though, because it elevates your game. You got to be on your stuff every day. You have to come to work with the expectation that the standard is what it is, and if you’re not going to match that, you’re not going to play here.
“It’s cool, and it’s why the 49ers have been so successful.”
Kittle has provided a huge chunk of that success when he’s healthy, and any prolonged absence would be a huge blow to San Francisco’s offense.
Kittle is not just one of the best receiving tight ends in the league. His skills as a blocker are well-known across the NFL and has enabled Shanahan to use Kittle in a variety of ways.
Saubert, who played at Drake College in Iowa about 125 miles away from Kittle, doesn’t have the receiving skills that Kittle does but has tried to solidify his blocking.
“It’s something I really had to work on when I got to the league,” said Saubert, who was a fifth-round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2017. “Drake was obviously a very different level of football so coming in I had a lot to learn in that respect. But it’s something we’re always working on. It’s never easy. It just takes repetition and doing it against the best people in the world at their position.”
Kittle and Saubert have ties that go pretty far back.
They both went to college in Iowa, attended the NFL Scouting Combine together and were part of the same draft class. And Saubert attended one of Kittle’s Tight End University gatherings in Nasvhille, Tenn.
“We’ve been friends for a while,” Saubert said.
Before signing with the 49ers as a free agent in April, Saubert had spent his time bouncing around the NFL. He had stints with the Falcons, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans.
Because the 49ers have an offense similar to the Texans, Saubert felt signing with San Francisco was the right move.
“Since I’ve been here it’s been a great fit for me,” Saubert said. “Really happy it worked out the way it did. I’ve been a lot of places so you pick up different things the different places you go. I worked with some great coaches, too. What you see out there is a culmination of eight years of a lot of things.”
Shanahan didn’t sound overly concerned about the possibility of Kittle sitting out Sunday’s game and said Saubert is ready to go if he has to.
“He’s done a hell of a job,” Shanahan said. “He’s been real consistent since he’s been here. If he’s got to do it all he’s up for the challenge. He’s shown he can help us in the pass and run game.”
While Saubert may not be able to replicate Kittle’s production, the 30-year-old realizes the standard that he has to play up to.
“It’s what I’ve kind of tried to match since I’ve been here.,” Saubert said. “Playing at that high of a level, it’s hard to do consistently but it’s what we expect from the tight ends here. It carries over to everybody, which is cool.
“It makes the room better, it makes our offense better.”
