The 49ers are headed into their 2026 NFL season opener in Australia with encouraging signs on two of their biggest names.
San Francisco opens against the Los Angeles Rams overseas, and the long trip raised an obvious question: would returning stars George Kittle and Nick Bosa be left behind? According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network on Wednesday morning, the answer is no. Both players are making the trip when the team leaves on September 2.
“The 49ers leave today for their game vs the Rams in Australia, and star TE George Kittle will make the trip after 2 positive days on practice, sources say. Kittle is trending in the right direction to play,” Rapoport reports. “DE Nick Bosa, ramping up with his knee, will also make the trip.”
That does not lock either player into Week 1 action, and the 49ers still won’t know for sure until next week. But it is clearly a positive development for a team trying to get through a demanding travel situation with key pieces intact.
Kittle is working back from a late-season Achilles injury, and there was real concern he could miss a significant stretch to begin the 2026 season. Instead, his status now looks much more promising, with a legitimate chance to be on the field against the Rams.
Bosa’s path carries a little more uncertainty. He is coming off a torn ACL from last year and is still ramping up with his knee, but the fact that he is traveling with the team suggests the door is open for him to play in Week 1.
For now, the 49ers have reason to feel better about both situations than they did before the travel plan became clear.
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