Kyle Juszczyk got on the field for 463 snaps on offense and another 322 plays on special teams for the Ravens last year, but he can point out one play in particular that helped him earn a four-year, $21 million contract with the 49ers in free agency.
Juszczyk is normally a blocking fullback, and he has only carried the ball seven times in 64 games in his career. But one of those carries was a sensational touchdown run against the Steelers, and he believes that one is part of why the 49ers and other teams noticed him and made him a hot commodity as a free agent.
“I think that play’s probably a big reason for the money I got,” Juszczyk told Peter King of TheMMQB.com. “I think it showed my power, and a little bit of me as an athlete.”
The 49ers aren’t going to make Juszczyk their primary ball carrier, but they’ll probably give him the ball more often than the Ravens did, while also using him as a receiver out of the backfield, a tight end in some sets, a special teams player and, of course, a blocking fullback. He’s a versatile player who showed that he can serve as a running threat when that’s what’s asked of him.