San Francisco 49ers Star George Kittle ‘On Track’ to Play Week 1

In years past, injuries have been one of the few aspects that has hindered the San Francisco 49ers' offense. 

George Kittle, Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy, among others, have all missed substantial time over the last four seasons.

While head coach and playcaller Kyle Shanahan has managed to compensate for the injuries, the Niners are undeniably scarier when at full strength. 

Luckily for San Francisco, its superstar tight end should be ready to go come the start of the 2026 campaign. 

On Wednesday, Kittle spoke to the media regarding his recovery from the right Achilles tear he suffered in the Niners' Wild Card victory over the Philadelphia Eagles back in January. 

"When I had the surgery and [Dr. Neal] ElAttrache told me, he said, 'Hey, I think if you do everything the right way, you have a chance,' it definitely ignites something and makes you push for it," Kittle told reporters via ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "We're on track. We're ahead of schedule."

Kittle, 32, appeared in 11 games last year en route to posting 57 receptions with 628 yards and seven touchdowns, snapping a two-year streak of consecutive 1000-yard seasons. 

The seven-time Pro-Bowler will return to a Niners offense that added future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans in the offseason, giving the 6-foot-4 Kittle a 6-foot-5 complementary weapon on the outside.

Still, before Kittle can team up with Evans on the gridiron, he must return to full health. 

"There's just boxes you have to check before you're cleared to do something else," Kittle continued. "And then once I'm actually allowed to go train the way I want to train, then it'll be just really fun to be able to go back to doing all the football movements I want to do: run blocking, pass pro, running routes, catching the ball."

19 weeks removed from the injury, Kittle likely has about another 12-16 weeks before he's able to ramp up activity in practice. 

"Then, it's just knock some of the rust off because I haven't done a lot since January and just get back out there," Kittle said.

If, for some reason, Kittle isn't able to go come the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams at So-Fi Stadium, Niners fans likely won't have to wait long for the start tight end to make his debut. 

Kittle told ESPN he'd be returning "well before November," signaling a return early in the season regardless of how the rest of his rehab process proceeds.