George Kittle has already pulled off the kind of comeback that seemed out of the question when he was carted off in the playoffs against the Eagles. After surgery for a torn Achilles in mid-January, the 49ers tight end is back on the practice field, and at 33 years old, he’s beaten the usual timeline in a big way.
That’s why the idea of him being available for Week 1 in Australia against the Rams has become real. It’s even fair to say he likely could play. But that doesn’t mean the 49ers should ask him to.
Kittle only returned to practice on Aug. 23, and Week 1 is a little more than two weeks away. In that window, the 49ers will get roughly 10 practices. That’s not much time for a player coming off an injury that normally takes nine to 12 months to recover from, especially when the game is taking place after a long trip and an unusual schedule.
The concern isn’t just whether his surgically repaired Achilles can hold up. It’s also about the other leg, which has been carrying extra load throughout the rehab process. Kittle needs time to trust both legs again, and that kind of confidence doesn’t come instantly.
Conditioning matters too. So does getting fully acclimated to football speed again. A few more practices and one more week of ramp-up would go a long way toward making that happen.
There’s also the matter of routine. The 49ers will be in Australia a week early, and that changes everything. Kittle won’t have the same setup that helped him get to this point, and for a player in a delicate return-to-play situation, that matters.
The 49ers are probably going to be tempted to push it. They know how important Week 1 is, and a loss that far from home would feel like two. Kittle knows that too, which is part of why he’s worked so hard to get back.
Still, the smart move is patience. He has already done the hard part by making it this far. Now the 49ers need to protect that progress and give him at least one more week before putting him back in a game.
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