Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle (ribs) won't take part in Wednesday's practice, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.
After Shanahan termed Kittle day-to-day Monday, it comes as no surprise that the 49ers are taking a cautious approach with the veteran tight end, especially considering all the injuries that have affected the skill positions through just four games this season. Kittle will have two more chances for on-field work this week before San Francisco potentially tags him with a designation ahead of Sunday's contest against the Cardinals.
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49ers' George Kittle: Deemed 'day-to-day' this week
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Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Kittle (ribs) will be "day-to-day" this week, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
During Sunday's win against the Patriots, Kittle was announced as questionable to return due to a rib injury at halftime, but he was able to join the 49ers offense for the team's first offensive possession of the second half and play out the remainder of the contest. His snap share (94 percent) didn't deviate from his normal workload, and he finished with four catches (on four targets) for 45 yards and one touchdown. Because of Shanahan's comments, Kittle likely isn't in danger of sitting out this coming Sunday versus the Cardinals, but he may endure some practice limitations Wednesday through Friday.
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49ers' George Kittle: Scores TD amid injury scare
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Kittle (ribs/hamstring) corralled all four of his targets for 45 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 30-13 win over the Patriots.
Kittle was already returning from a hamstring injury that cost him the Week 3 tilt against the Rams before needing to leave Sunday's contest against the Patriots with a rib injury. The physical tight end gets banged up often, but he generally toughs it out whenever possible, illustrated by the fact that Kittle returned promptly from the medical tent while tacking on another catch before finishing off the win over New England. Do not be surprised if the eight-year pro pops up on the injury report leading up to Week 5, but assuming the fantasy stud suits up against Arizona, he makes for a strong play after providing at least four catches and 40 yards in three active games while nabbing two touchdowns for managers thus far this season.
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49ers' George Kittle: Back in Sunday's game
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Kittle (ribs) reentered Sunday's game versus the Patriots, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Kittle was deemed questionable to return at halftime due to a rib injury, but he was able to mix back into the 49ers offense on the team's first drive of the third quarter. He'll look to build upon a 3-38-1 line on three targets from the first half.
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49ers' George Kittle: Hurts ribs Sunday
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Kittle suffered a rib injury during Sunday's game against the Patriots, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Kittle sat out a Week 3 road loss to the Rams due to a hamstring injury, but he was able to return after just one game missed. He's now dealing with a new health concern, and prior to the 49ers announcing it at halftime of Sunday's contest, he gathered in all three targets for 38 yards and one touchdown. Eric Saubert and Jake Tonges are the remaining healthy tight ends on the active roster.
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49ers' George Kittle: Returning for Week 4
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Kittle (hamstring) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Kittle returned to practice Wednesday and continued participating throughout the week, eventually showing enough to avoid a game designation. Deebo Samuel, meanwhile, is listed as questionable with a calf injury, so it isn't yet clear if the 49ers will have all of their top pass catchers available.
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49ers' George Kittle: Remains limited Thursday
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Kittle (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis Thursday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Kittle has put together back-to-back capped sessions during Week 4 prep, implying that he's doing everything in his power to keep his absence to just one game after he popped up on last Thursday's injury report due to hamstring tightness. He may have to upgrade to full at Friday's practice in order to go into the weekend without a designation for Sunday's contest versus the Patriots.
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49ers' George Kittle: Set for limited practice
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Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle (hamstring) will be a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Kittle showed up on the 49ers' Week 3 injury report last Thursday as a non-participant due to hamstring tightness, which kept him out of Friday's session and Sunday's eventual road loss to the Rams. Shanahan noted Monday that the team was hopeful Kittle would be able to practice this week, and the tight end will do so in his first session of Week 4 prep. Kittle thus will have two more chances to get back to full before San Francisco potentially marks him with a designation ahead of Sunday's contest against the Patriots.
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49ers' George Kittle: May return to practice this week
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Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that the 49ers are hopeful Kittle (hamstring) returns to practice this week, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Kittle was a mid-week addition to the 49ers' injury report last week due to hamstring tightness, which kept him out of drills Thursday and Friday and during Sunday's loss to the Rams. San Francisco will issue its first Week 4 practice report Wednesday, at which point it'll become known if he'll be able to join his teammates on the practice field. In Kittle's place this past weekend, Eric Saubert (two catches for 41 yards on two targets) started and handled 61 of 71 offensive snaps, while Jake Tonges earned 16 snaps and Brayden Willis played four snaps.
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49ers' George Kittle: Now out for Sunday
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Kittle (hamstring) has been downgraded to out and will not play Sunday against the Rams, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
This was the likely outcome given Kittle was listed as doubtful on Friday's injury report. Eric Saubert will get the start at tight end, and Jake Tonges could get more pass-catching opportunities at the position as well.
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49ers' George Kittle: Officially doubtful
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Kittle (hamstring) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Rams, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Kittle was first listed on the injury report Thursday as a non-participant and then missed another practice Friday. It's bad timing for a 49ers offense that's already without RB Christian McCaffrey (IR, Achilles) and WR Deebo Samuel (out, calf), leaving WR Brandon Aiyuk as the far-and-away No. 1 option after he caught only six of 10 targets for 71 yards over the first two weeks of the season. Eric Saubert figures to start at tight end this Sunday, but Aiyuk and fellow wideout Jauan Jennings are more likely to benefit from Kittle's absence in a way that matters for fantasy football. Jake Tonges could play ahead of Saubert in passing situations, and it's also possible the various injuries lead to FB Kyle Juszczyk getting more snaps and/or touches.
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49ers' George Kittle: Missing another practice
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Kittle (hamstring) isn't practicing Friday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
It's a poor sign for his Week 3 availability after Kittle was a mid-week addition to the injury report, as he initially was listed as a non-participant Thursday. Another absence suggests this is more than just caution over minor soreness or tightness, likely setting Kittle up for a game designation on the final injury report ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Rams.
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49ers' George Kittle: Misses practice with hammy injury
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Kittle won't practice Thursday due to a hamstring injury, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Kittle wasn't included on the 49ers' initial Week 3 injury report, but he'll be given Thursday off after experiencing tightness in his hamstring coming out of Wednesday's practice session, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The mid-week absence suddenly threatens Kittle's availability for Sunday's game against the Rams, but the 49ers won't decide whether he'll carry a designation into the weekend until after Friday's practice. With starting wideout Deebo Samuel (calf) already expected to miss Sunday's contest, Kittle's status takes on even greater significance than usual.
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49ers' George Kittle: Nabs four receptions in MNF win
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Kittle corralled four of five targets for 40 yards in Monday's 32-19 win over the Jets.
Kittle finished as San Francisco's third leading receiver on a night where the passing attack was only needed for 225 yards and no touchdowns. All things considered, the star tight end had a solid game given the opportunities present. The rushing attack shined against the Jets on Monday, producing 180 yards and two touchdowns on 38 attempts. Kittle and the 49ers' passing attack will look to get into the scoring action themselves in a Week 2 matchup against the Vikings.
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49ers' George Kittle: Appears in final exhibition
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Kittle had three receptions on four targets for 34 yards in Friday's preseason finale against the Raiders.
Kittle sat out the 49ers' first two exhibitions as the team eased him back into action after going under the knife this past offseason. The star tight end looked like his usual self post-surgery, leaping over a stretched out defender at one point of the preseason tilt in order to make an impressive grab across the middle. Kittle's effort in Friday's exhibition confirms the physical tight end's health as San Francisco prepares to host the Jets on the first installment Monday Night Football of the 2024 season on Sept. 9.
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49ers' George Kittle: Remains ready for Week 1
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Kittle remains on track to suit up for Week 1 of the regular season, despite being held out of both of the 49ers' preseason games.
Kittle spent the months leading up to training camp recovering and then reconditioning from offseason groin surgery. The star tight end's absence from both of San Francisco's completed exhibitions was by design, and he doesn't carry an injury designation as we get closer to the kickoff of the regular season. The rock star tight end is fresh off of his third campaign recording at least 65 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
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49ers' George Kittle: Working to regain lost weight
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Kittle (core muscle) recently told the Bussin' With The Boys podcast that he lost nearly 30 pounds at the beginning of the offseason while rehabbing injuries.
Kittle had core muscle surgery after the Super Bowl and was also recovering from shoulder and rib injuries at the time -- a combination that prevented him from doing both upper- and lower-body weightlifting for about a month. He said he's "almost back to 100 percent" and has regained most of the lost weight, but he still wants to add about 10 more pounds before the start of the regular season. It sounds like Kittle will be ready for the beginning of training camp in late July.
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49ers' George Kittle: On track for training camp
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Kittle (groin) is recovered from his core-muscle surgery, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.
Kittle has been a full participant on the practice field at his Tight End University offseason workouts. He founded the three-day camp with fellow tight ends Travis Kelce and the now-retired Greg Olsen. Kittle played through a groin injury last season before undergoing core-muscle surgery in the offseason. He had previously stated his intentions to be ready for training camp, and it appears the star tight end is on track to do just that. He projects to again be a top fantasy option at his position in 2024.
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49ers' George Kittle: Recovering from core muscle surgery
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GM John Lynch said Monday that Kittle is recovering from an offseason procedure intended to address a core muscle injury, and that the tight end is on track to be fully cleared by training camp, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Kittle also recently restructured his contract, a move that freed up roughly $10 million in cap space for the 49ers, likely by converting a portion of his base salary for 2024 into a bonus. Across 16 regular-season games last year, the two-time All-Pro secured 65 of 90 targets for 1,020 yards and six scores. Recovery from core muscle surgery shouldn't impede Kittle's ability to participate in on-field reps this offseason, though even if he did sit out a portion of training camp, it wouldn't impact the veteran tight end's status as one of the top fantasy options amid a sparse positional landscape.
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49ers' George Kittle: Restructures contract
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Kittle and the 49ers have reached agreement on a restructured contract, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
This likely has no impact on Kittle's standing or future; it's probably just converting his base salary into bonus money and/or adding void years to clear up 2024 cap space. The 49ers have been tight up against the cap for a few seasons now, consistently in win-now mode with a star-studded roster that includes Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk as playmakers on offense. An extension for Aiyuk could be on the docket this offseason, as he's scheduled to play out 2024 under the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Kittle, meanwhile, has two years left on his deal.
