The San Francisco 49ers are signing former Green Bay Packers tight end Josiah Deguara. Deguara was a third-round pick by the Packers in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he spent his first four seasons with the team.
Now, he enters his seventh year in the NFL, and he will be playing for his fourth different NFL franchise.
San Francisco 49ers Sign Former Green Bay Packers Draft Pick Josiah Deguara
GettyFormer Packers’ tight end Josiah Deguara
Deguara was one of the first additions Matt LaFleur made, and it signaled that the team wanted to shift into a more tight-end-heavy look. However, he never quite made the transition.
Deguara had one catch for 12 yards in his rookie season. He played in just 31 snaps. However, LaFleur gave him a strong chance to prove himself in 2021. He played 391 snaps on offense, but had just 245 yards on 25 receptions. That is currently his career-high, though.
He only played in 259 snaps, as he started to sour on the coaching staff by his third year. He finished the year with 114 yards. In 2023, he dropped to 212 snaps, and that led to just 65 yards.
So, the Packers let his rookie deal expire, and they did not offer him a new contract. Deguara caught on with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024, but only in a depth role. He played in 15 games but played just 86 snaps and had 14 yards.
So, the Jaguars moved on from him, and he signed with the Arizona Cardinals. He stuck around on the roster once again, but played just 84 snaps. He did manage 21 yards.
So, he is entering his seventh NFL season, and he has made the roster for the team that signed him in the first six seasons. While he has not been a highly productive NFL player and was not worthy of the third-round selection Green Bay made for him, he has turned out a longer-than-average NFL career. He was a better pick than plenty of other third-round options in that draft.
Deguara Can Make the San Francisco 49ers Roster
There is a good chance that Deguara will make the roster of an NFL team for the seventh straight season. The 49ers’ depth chart at tight end does not look strong entering the year. George Kittle is currently not practicing as he rehabs an Achilles injury he suffered later in the 2026 season.
Jake Tonges is his backup, and he played well last year, adding 293 yards for the 49ers when Kittle was out. However, he is entering his fifth season in the NFL, and Deguara has 178 more career yards. Perhaps San Francisco can pull more out of Deguara in the way that they did for Tonges.
Behind him is Luke Farrell. They signed Farrell in free agency last year, but were not happy with his performance in his first year. So, Deguara could arguably sit in as the third tight end. At worst, he would be fourth. Brayden Willis is currently their fourth option.
He has 23 appearances in the NFL, but he is entering his fourth year with just three career targets. Deguara should be ahead of him already.
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