The signs around George Kittle keep trending in the right direction, and the latest report only adds fuel to the belief that the 49ers may have their star tight end back for the season opener against the Rams.
CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported Monday that " there's a high level of confidence at this point" Kittle will be able to play when San Francisco and Los Angeles open the regular season on Sept. 10 in Melbourne, Australia. That report came the same day videos circulated on social media showing Kittle moving through cone drills at full speed and hauling in passes.
None of that means the job is done, though. Kittle is still on the PUP list, which keeps him out of team practices, and the 49ers have yet to see him in a true football setting where his lower body is taking maximum strain outside of controlled work. That’s the next checkpoint San Francisco will want to see before putting the 32-year-old into a game.
There’s also the matter of the trip itself. The long flight to and from Australia is part of the equation, and it could affect Kittle’s recovery over the long haul.
Even with all that in mind, the optimism around his status isn’t coming out of nowhere. General manager John Lynch said on March 29 at the NFL owners meetings that he was hopeful Kittle would be ready for Week 1, and he again declined to rule it out when he spoke to reporters before training camp on July 25.
Kittle tore his Achilles in the 49ers’ wild card win over the Eagles in January, so the idea that he might avoid missing a regular-season game after that injury is pretty remarkable. Still, the 49ers have several hurdles left before any confidence about his return turns into certainty. For now, it remains what it has been since March: encouraging, but not finished.
In Other News...
Kyle Shanahan Sounds Off On A Tough 49ers WR Setback
Kyle Shanahans first press conference since the 49ers opened training camp covered a lot of ground, from the teams early status to his own recovery after a car accident. It also brought the latest hit to a receiver group that had been expected to lean on Ricky Pearsall, with the rookies development already part of the conversation as San Francisco settled into camp.
Shanahan made it clear the setback changes more than just a depth chart, because the 49ers had been counting on Pearsall as part of their plan. With him unavailable, the focus shifts to the rest of the wideout room and whether someone else can absorb the opportunity while the team adjusts around another early obstacle. [Read more 🡒]
George Kittle's Recovery Has Become A Real 49ers Concern
George Kittles recovery from the Achilles tear he suffered in January has become one of the quieter but more important storylines around the 49ers as the season opener approaches. CBS Sports reports he is making good progress, and the optimism around his return is tied to how much San Francisco leans on him when he is healthy. It has already been a frustrating stretch for Kittle, who missed significant time last season because of multiple injuries, and the team is still waiting to see him back on the field in camp.
The timing matters because the 49ers open against the Rams in Week 1, a game that will tell a lot about how ready the offense is to start fast. There is confidence building around Kittles status, but the fact that he has not yet taken part in training camp keeps the situation from feeling settled. For a player whose value goes well beyond catches and yardage, every missed practice adds a little more weight to the opening weeks of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Romello Height Is Giving 49ers Fans A Real Reason To Watch Camp
Romello Height has become one of the more interesting names in 49ers training camp, not because he arrived with huge expectations, but because he has already started to look like a player who can matter in more than one way. The third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft came in with questions about his size, yet he has been lining up in multiple defensive looks and showing the kind of pass-rush ability that tends to get a staffs attention fast.
For a team always looking to add pressure without tipping its hand, that kind of early versatility has value beyond the usual summer buzz. The 49ers are still figuring out how much Height can handle and whether he can grow into a role larger than the one originally envisioned for him, but the fact that he is forcing that conversation at all is reason enough to keep watching camp closely. [Read more 🡒]