George Kittle still has Week 1 in his sights, and the 49ers tight end isn’t backing off that target.
Kittle said after Sunday’s practice that he believes he “has a chance” to play, even as the team sits 17 days from flying to Australia. He’s been moving well, hitting top speeds and working through the rehab process with a clear checklist in mind.
“I’ve been running around a lot. Hitting top speeds.
Hopefully, we’re back in pads practicing sooner than later. Just trying to check the boxes and not be a dumbass is what I would say.
Kittle also said he talked with Richard Sherman about what it takes to come back from an Achilles injury. For him, the biggest part has been the work over the next eight weeks, the kind of foundation that sets up everything else.
“If you build a strong foundation, get your calf muscle back, get your strength back, then you’re allowed to train faster and get your body ready to go faster. So, we dominated those 8 weeks. Had a really good rehab.”
The Week 1 goal has given him something concrete to chase. Kittle said he was doing seated calf raises within ten minutes of taking his cast off, and he believes he’s already hitting the GPS numbers and markers he needs to reach.
He knows the next step matters just as much as the rehab. Kittle said he needs to get back into practice before he can play, and he doesn’t want his first time in pads to come on the trip to Australia.
“I don’t want my first time in pads traveling to Australia. I don’t think that’d be a very smart idea.
These next couple of weeks are everything. That’ll let me know whether I’m able to play Week 1 or not.”
If he’s not on the plane to Australia, Kittle said he’ll stay back and keep rehabbing. He also said he’s currently at 245 pounds, and that he’s been playing around 242 pounds since his second season. Anything under 240, he said, leaves him feeling “very skinny” and unable to block people.
For now, the target remains the opener, and Kittle said he’s “very confident” he won’t start the season on the PUP list and miss the first four games. He finished by saying, “sooner than later.”
Sunday’s practice also brought updates on a few other 49ers. Gracen Halton sat out with an ankle issue, and Dominick Puni missed time because of a concussion. The team will see whether either player can get back on the field for this week’s joint practice or preseason game against the Chargers.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was absent for a second straight practice because of a rib injury, but offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak doesn’t view it as a long-term problem.
“I don’t think it’ll be long. I think he just needs to heal up a little bit and get him back out there. We don’t think it’s anything long-term.”
Kubiak said Rourke was “excellent” in terms of getting the huddle organized and getting the play call in, and that he executed “really well.” He added that he was “really pleased with how he played,” especially considering it was Rourke’s first live action since 2024.
Asked whether that performance was enough to say Rourke should stick in the NFL, Kubiak called it “premature,” but he also pointed to the upside the 49ers saw when they drafted him.
“That is why we drafted him, because he thought he was an NFL quarterback. I think we saw a lot of talent where he thought he was better than a 7th-round pick, but he had an injury in college that we knew he wasn’t going to be able to play his first year very much, so his draft value fell a little bit.
But, evaluating, we saw an NFL thrower who was very bright, had the right size, and had a chance to be a player. We still think he is.
I think he’s taken steps in that direction. But he’s got to keep going.”
It was only one game, but Rourke made his case.
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