The San Francisco 49ers star tight end continues to rehab from a torn Achilles that he suffered during the team’s wild-card weekend matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The 32-year-old had to be carted off the field in Philadelphia with an injury that not only ended his season but also threatened the next one.
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Kittle seemingly had a long road back, but it’s been less bumpy than anticipated. By all accounts, the tight end is further along in the rehab process with a real chance to be available early in the 2026 season.
How early? Maybe earlier than you think.
Here’s the latest injury update on Kittle and his status for Week 1.
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New York Jets – Arch Manning, QB, Texas
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New York Jets – Arch Manning, QB, Texas
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Miami Dolphins – Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
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Arizona Cardinals – Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
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Atlanta Falcons – Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame
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Tennessee Titans – Trevor Goosby, OT, Texas
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Las Vegas Raiders – Jordan Seaton, OT, LSU
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Cleveland Browns – CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
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New York Giants – Cam Coleman, WR, Texas
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New Orleans Saints – Colin Simmons, DE/OLB, Texas
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Washington Commanders – Dylan Stewart, DE/OLB, South Carolina
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Jets (from IND) – KJ Bolden, S, Georgia
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jamari Johnson, TE, Oregon
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Pittsburgh Steelers – Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
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49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke about the tight end during an April 30 appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” when he explained that the season opener isn’t off the table yet for Kittle’s return.
“I know there’s a chance to,” Shanahan said. “I know he’s working his butt off to do it. I don’t want to say he’s on track, but I think that’s what he’s shooting for. And I don’t put anything past Kittle.
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“He works as hard as anyone.”
Shanahan said he points to Boston Celtics’ star Jayson Tatum as an example for Kittle to follow, explaining that he also got hurt in the postseason and looks pretty good right now.
Kittle pumped the brakes on pushing too hard for a quick return, however. He spoke with CNBC’s Alex Sherman on April 23 and was asked about a potential return for training camp.
“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” Kittle said. “We’ll dip our toes back in a little bit slower than that. But hey, who knows? Miracles have happened.”
Luckily for Kittle and the 49ers, there is a date circled on the calendar to work towards. The 49ers begin their season in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, Sept. 10.
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George Kittle injury update
Kittle explained during a March 17 appearance on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast that his recovery was going well.
“Doing great actually,” Kittle said, when asked how it’s going. “I’m on and off of crutches. Got out of a boot like two weeks ago, which was thrilling because being in a boot is horrible, but got out of that. I’m in these awesome dad shoes with heel lifts in … I can kind of function around my house without crutches. I just can’t be on my feet all day, but it’s coming along. The rehab is going great.”
The tight end added that his trajectory is “fantastic” and that he was told that it was the best-case scenario given the injury.
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“Because you tore your Achilles, this is the best case scenario,” Kittle said of what the 49ers’ team doctor told him. “For what you did, how you tore it, where you tore it – it couldn’t have been any better.
“You got super lucky.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Kittle injury update: Will 49ers TE be ready for Week 1?
