Falcons' Charlie Woerner: Notches fourth reception of season
Rotowire
Woerner recorded an 11-yard reception while playing 35 of the Falcons' 74 snaps on offense in Sunday's 42-21 loss to the Vikings.
Though starter Kyle Pitts (58 snaps) paced Atlanta tight ends in playing time after seeing his snap share dip to 39 percent during the Week 13 loss to the Chargers, Woerner's 35 snaps still placed him comfortably ahead of Ross Dwelley (nine snaps) for second among the position group. Woerner brings most of his value to the Falcons as a blocker, though he contributed his fourth reception of the season Sunday.
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Falcons' Charlie Woerner: Logs full practice Thursday
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Woerner (concussion) was listed as a full participant on Thursday's injury report, Daniel Flick of SI.com reports.
Woerner's full practice Thursday indicates that he is progressing through the league's five-step concussion protocols. He will need to be cleared by an independent neurologist in order to play against the Chargers on Sunday. The fifth-year tight end has mostly been utilized as a blocker this season and has logged two catches (on four targets) for 17 yards across 10 regular-season games.
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Falcons' Charlie Woerner: Doesn't practice Wednesday
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Woerner (concussion) didn't practice Wednesday.
Woerner appears to have sustained a concussion in the Falcons' Week 10 loss to the Saints, despite playing 54 total snaps (36 offensive and 18 on special teams). He will likely need to upgrade to limited work either Thursday or Friday in order to play in Sunday's matchup against the Broncos. Regardless of his practice participation throughout the week, Woerner must clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol in order to suit up in Week 11.
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Falcons' Charlie Woerner: Enters concussion protocols
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Woerner is being evaluated for a concussion and is questionable to return to Sunday's game against Seattle, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Woerner sustained a head injury late in the second quarter of Sunday's game. He'll need to clear the league's five-step concussion protocols before returning for the second half. If Woerner is unable to return, Ross Dwelley would step up as the Falcons' backup tight end behind Kyle Pitts.
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Falcons' Charlie Woerner: Generates two targets in Week 1
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Woerner caught one of two targets for four yards during Sunday's 18-10 loss to the Steelers.
Known for his blocking prowess, Woerner isn't expected to be involved in the passing game very often. In four seasons with San Francisco, Woerner caught 11 passes (15 targets) for 120 yards. Starting tight end Kyle Pitts played 54 offensive snaps in Week 1, securing all three of his targets for 26 yards and a TD, while Woerner saw only 23 snaps on offense.
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Falcons' Charlie Woerner: Will be involved in run game
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Woerner made the Falcons' initial 53-man roster Tuesday, Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.
Woerner and Ross Dwelley signed similar contracts this offseason and will open the season as the primary backups to Kyle Pitts. Woerner has a strong blocking acumen and is expected to be heavily involved in the running game, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic. Woerner also has plenty of experience on special teams, playing 1,257 snaps over four seasons in San Francisco.
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49ers' Charlie Woerner: Competing for backup job
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Woerner will compete with Ross Dwelley, third-round pick Cameron Latu and other camp invites for one of the backup spots behind George Kittle (groin) this preseason.
Woerner co-started alongside Dwelley in the team's first exhibition contest without Kittle, with the rookie Latu getting run in the second half. The two veterans -- and teammates for three seasons -- may end up fighting for one roster spot unless the 49ers plan on carrying four tight ends into the season. Even if he makes the cut, Woerner can be ignored in most fantasy drafts after recording just eight catches over his first three seasons as a pro.
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49ers' Charlie Woerner: No involvement in passing game
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Woerner wasn't targeted while playing 17 of the 49ers' 70 snaps on offense in Sunday's 13-0 win over the Saints.
With double-digit snaps in both of the past two games, Woerner appears to have seized hold of the No. 2 tight end role ahead of Ross Dwelley, who has played 10 snaps combined over that same stretch. Even so, starter George Kittle continues to dominate the reps at the position, leaving little room for Woerner to carve out a role. Even if Kittle misses time with an injury like he did earlier in the season, Woerner is expected to be deployed almost exclusively as a blocker. Woerner has drawn just two targets over 160 offensive snaps this season.
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49ers' Charlie Woerner: No targets in Week 5
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Woerner went without a target across 21 offensive snaps in Sunday's 37-15 win over the Panthers.
Any window of opportunity Woerner had to carve out a meaningful role in the 49ers' passing attack closed when top tight end George Kittle returned to action Week 3 following a two-game absence to begin the season. Even in the two games Kittle missed, Woerner went without a target. The 49ers continue to essentially view the 6-foot-5, 241-pound Woerner as an extra lineman; he's ran just 10 routes on 98 snaps on offense this season.
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49ers' Charlie Woerner: Activated off active/PUP list
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The 49ers activated Woerner (abdomen) from the active/PUP list Sunday.
Woerner underwent offseason core muscle surgery and started training camp on the PUP list. Now healthy, the 2020 sixth-round pick will compete with Tyler Kroft and Ross Dwelley for limited playing time behind George Kittle.
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49ers' Charlie Woerner: One catch in start
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Woerner started and logged 45 snaps on offense (80 percent) in Sunday's 33-22 win over the Bears, finishing with one catch on two targets for seven yards.
Woerner continued to serve as the 49ers' starting tight end, but his usage was limited to mainly blocking for Elijah Mitchell. George Kittle (calf) is eligible to come off injured reserve next week against the Cardinals, and all signs are pointing toward that happening. Whenever the star tight end does end up returning, Woerner will return to backup and special teams duties.
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49ers' Charlie Woerner: Gets start in loss
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Woerner started and logged 30 offensive snaps (54 percent) Sunday, finishing with two receptions (two targets) for 30 yards in a 30-18 loss to the Colts.
Woerner took over for Ross Dwelley (27 snaps) as the 49ers' temporary starting tight end while George Kittle (calf) mends on injured reserve. Neither player made much noise from a fantasy perspective, and that's likely to remain the same in next week's tilt against the Bears.
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49ers' Charlie Woerner: Gets first taste of pro action
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Woerner appeared in 14 games for the 49ers during the 2020 season, finishing with three receptions for 36 yards and no touchdowns.
Injuries to San Francisco's top two tight ends opened up some sparse playing time for the rookie. Most of Woerner's time on the 53-man roster was spent on special teams, but he impressed his position coaches as early as training camp with his combination of size and speed (similar to what another late-round tight end, George Kittle, did before exploding into a star in San Francisco). It would be a stretch to assume Woerner could replicate Kittle's rise to stardom, but the 22-year-old does fit the profile of this next generation of tight ends who possess plus athleticism at the position. Woerner could jump as high as second on the depth chart for the 49ers in 2021, but for now, he will be a fantasy afterthought until he gets an opportunity to prove himself.
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49ers' Charlie Woerner: Returns from COVID-19 list
Rotowire
Woerner was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday.
Woerner missed the last two games while on the list. He'll be available for the season finale against Seattle. It's tough to project how he'll be utilized with position mates George Kittle, Jordan Reed and Ross Dwelley all healthy for the first time since Week 1.
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49ers' Charlie Woerner: Catches first passes
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Woerner caught both his targets for 33 yards during Monday's 34-24 loss to Buffalo.
The rookie sixth-round pick played a season-high 15 offensive snaps and secured the first two receptions of his career. Jordan Reed and Ross Dwelley each played more than 50 percent of the offensive snaps, and Woerner should continue to work as San Francisco's No. 3 tight end.
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49ers' Charlie Woerner: San Francisco snags in sixth
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The 49ers selected Woerner in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 190th overall.
Woerner played a part-time role during his four-year collegiate tenure at Georgia, mostly seeing utilization as a lead blocker. Due to Woerner's bulk (6-foot-5, 244 pounds) and willingness to embrace contact, he has a shot at earning a role as a blocker in the run game for San Francisco.
