The San Francisco 49ers have been without star tight end George Kittle since he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1.
Kittle has been on injured reserve for each of the 49ers’ last four games and is now eligible to be activated and return to action. The 32-year-old TE has already been ruled out for Sunday’s Week 6 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but there is some optimism he could be back on the field for Week 7’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
On Wednesday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said there a chance Kittle will be good to go next week.
“Kyle Shanahan says there’s a chance George Kittle is back next week vs Atlanta, but it doesn’t sound like there’s a chance LG Ben Bartch will be ready yet for that week,” team insider David Lombardi reported.
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Kittle looked solid for the 49ers before suffering his hamstring injury in Week 1, reeling in four catches for 25 yards and one touchdown in his team’s 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Backup TE Jake Tonges has been excellent filling in for Kittle, catching 19 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns in his absence.
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Aside from Kittle, the 49ers are dealing with a variety of other injury issues. Starting quarterback Brock Purdy is expected to miss yet another game with his toe injury after notching a DNP on Wednesday, and starting wide receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ankle/ribs) are also uncertain to take the field in Week 6.
Despite these injury issues, the 49ers are 4-1 to start the 2025 season. Backup QB Mac Jones has led the team to victory in each of his three starts, including this past Sunday’s 26-23 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Sunday’s Week 6 matchup against the Buccaneers will kickoff at 4:25 p.m. ET.
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