Undrafted rookie hopeful suffers injury that may derail 49ers' roster chances

For the most part, it seems as if the San Francisco 49ers have their depth behind tight end George Kittle already set despite training camp not quite kicking off yet. Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell figure to be the go-tos, which is necessary in light of Kittle coming off an Achilles tear last January.

But there may be some room for fluidity further down the depth chart, especially if Kittle is forced to miss some time early in the season.

And that's where undrafted rookie Khalil Dinkins has an outside shot at surviving post-camp roster cuts and earning his way toward a spot with the regular-season squad.

Unfortunately, an unpredicted circumstance might get in the way of Dinkins' prospects.

49ers place Khalil Dinkins on injury list as part of roster move

With rookies reporting to camp, the Niners announced they signed rookie punter Jack Bouwmeester and made room by placing Dinkins on the active/non-football injury list.

The Australian-born Bouwmeester couldn't sign initially, following last April's NFL Draft, due to visa challenges. Yet it appears as if those have been worked out.

The Dinkins news, however, isn't necessarily great. While it's a good thing he remains on the active portion of said injury list, the undisclosed injury is a possible problem, and it'll ultimately cut into his developmental time during these first few days of camp—a necessary step toward carving out a niche role on the roster.

It's possible the move is merely a stopgap procedure, as San Francisco might've known the tight end wouldn't quite be ready for the start of camp, but waiving him outright remains a premature decision.

In the interim, fellow fringe tight ends like Brayden Willis and Hayden Rucci figure to benefit the most, as they'll get increased looks once veterans report on July 25.

As for Dinkins? His aim has to be nothing short of getting back on the field as soon as reasonably possible.

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This article was originally published on ninernoise.com as Undrafted rookie hopeful suffers injury that may derail 49ers' roster chances.