Health is still hanging over the 49ers as the season opener approaches, but one of their biggest names appears to be moving in the right direction.
Nick Bosa is set to play, and George Kittle now looks likely to join him. Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said the tight end has looked sharp in practice and is back to his normal routine, even after tearing his Achilles just months ago.
“Super impressed with how he’s looked considering the injury he had and how quickly he got back out on the field and just committed to his rehab,” Kubiak said. “...We have got to see how he gets through the rest of the week, we’ve got two more practices, but Kittle looks good.”
That’s encouraging news for Kittle, whose injury came in the playoffs and ended his season. His recovery has moved a little faster than expected.
Even so, the 49ers are not locking in anything when it comes to his usage against the Los Angeles Rams. Kubiak said Kittle’s game-day workload is still undecided.
“How that affects him on game day and what the workload is will be determined,” the coordinator added.
The bigger picture in San Francisco hasn’t changed much: the roster looks built to contend, but staying healthy has been the problem. That challenge gets even sharper in a division that includes the Rams and the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks, leaving little room for mistakes in the Bay Area.
So while Kittle’s return would be a major boost, the 49ers may still have to be careful with how much they ask of him right away.
In Other News...
Rams Secondary Overhaul Suddenly Looks Bigger Than Fans Realized
The Rams spent the offseason reshaping the back end of their defense, and the cornerback additions are the kind of moves that can change how a secondary looks from the first snap of the season onward. Around the league, a handful of notable defensive backs changed teams, but Los Angeles stands out because it brought in both Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie, two names that immediately change the conversation about depth, matchups and week-to-week stability.
Watson and McDuffie arrive with different resumes, but the common thread is that each gives the Rams a real chance to raise the floor of a unit that needed fresh answers. The broader league context matters here too, with Chris Johnson landing in Miami, Benjamin St-Juste going to Green Bay and Jamel Dean heading to Pittsburgh, but Los Angeles may have made the most intriguing bet on upside. How quickly that overhaul clicks will go a long way toward showing whether the Rams just added bodies or truly changed the shape of their secondary. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Are Testing A Risky Australia Plan Before NFL History
The Rams have already started treating Melbourne like a dry run, sending employees to Australia to work through the logistics of what would be the NFLs first regular-season game there. The goal is less about sightseeing than survival: charting the travel, the flight experience, sleep, fatigue and recovery so the team can understand what it might feel like to arrive halfway around the world and still be ready to play soon after.
It is a more aggressive approach than the one other teams, such as the 49ers, are expected to take, with San Francisco planning to get to Melbourne a week early. For the Rams, the question is whether the league can turn a historic event into a workable football week without giving away too much on the front end, and the answer may shape how future international games are handled. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Stafford Just Became A Bigger Threat For The Rams
Matthew Staffords postseason story has changed dramatically since he arrived in Los Angeles. After going 0-3 in the playoffs with Detroit, he has since built a 7-3 playoff record with the Rams, and that shift has helped redefine what this franchise can expect when the calendar turns. With the roster around him continuing to evolve, theres a growing sense that Stafford is no longer just the quarterback trying to survive January. He is part of a team that has learned how to lean into those moments.
The Rams have also put work into the rest of the operation, especially the rushing game and the defense, with offseason additions like Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald adding to the sense that the support system around Stafford could get even stronger. Looking ahead to 2026, the expectation is not simply that Stafford will be asked to carry the offense, but that he may have more help than ever if the group comes together the way the Rams envision. The upside is obvious, even if the full picture still has to play out. [Read more 🡒]