The 49ers on Tuesday found a trade partner for one of their many tight ends, as general manager Trent Baalke struck a deal with a former colleague.
Tight end Asante Cleveland, a second-year player from Miami, was traded to the New England Patriots, a source told CSNBayArea.com. Terms of the trade were not immediately known.
Baalke was a scout with the New York Jets from 1998 to 2000, and overlapped two seasons with New England coach Bill Belichick, who was an assistant coach under Bill Parcells.
Cleveland, a native of Sacramento, spent six games on the 49ers’ 53-man roster last season and did not catch a pass. He was on the 49ers’ practice squad the remainder of his rookie season.
On Saturday night in the exhibition opener, Cleveland caught three passes for 10 yards in the 49ers’ 23-10 loss the Houston Texans. He played 11 snaps of offense in the game.
The 49ers still have a stockpile at tight end behind starter Vernon Davis with Derek Carrier, Vance McDonald, Blake Bell, Garrett Celek, Xavier Grimble and seventh-round draft pick Busta Anderson.
It’s possible the 49ers could trade another tight end before the start of the regular season. Washington is known to be looking for a tight end after Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen sustained season-ending injuries. Both players were placed on injured reserve on Monday.