08/23/26 09:51:00
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08/23 21:49 CDT 49ers take star TE George Kittle off PUP list 10 days before
leaving for Australia
49ers take star TE George Kittle off PUP list 10 days before leaving for
Australia
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) --- San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle
was taken off the physically unable to perform list Sunday, providing hope that
he might be able to return from a ruptured right Achilles tendon before the
season opener.
The 49ers got good news on the injury front 10 days before the team was set to
depart for Australia for a Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 11
with Kittle and All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey both back at practice.
"It definitely just gives us energy," offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said.
"It just changes things. You got two Hall of Fame caliber players out there who
are back out there and getting their work in. They practice at a high standard,
and they lift everybody up. So, it definitely changes your energy a little bit."
The Niners are scheduled to leave for Australia on Sept. 2 and Kittle said last
week that he needed to get practice time in pads before then to determine
whether he would make the trip and try to play Week 1.
Kittle ruptured his Achilles on Jan. 11 in a playoff win at Philadelphia and
has made an impressive recovery to get back on the field in less than eight
months.
Kittle is a two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler who is a key part of San
Francisco's offense as a passing threat and a blocker in the run game. He had
57 catches for 628 yards receiving and seven touchdowns last season.
McCaffrey had missed the past two weeks of practice with what the team had
described as "tightness." After being limited to four games because of injuries
in 2024, McCaffrey was an ironman last season. He played 1,010 offensive snaps
in the regular season and playoffs --- just the ninth running back in the past
20 seasons to top the 1,000 mark --- and became the second player in the past
decade with at least 450 combined carries and catches.
The 30-year-old McCaffrey hasn't responded well in the past following his
heaviest-use seasons. The previous two times he topped 400 touches --- in 2019
with Carolina and 2023 with the 49ers --- he was severely hampered by injuries
the following season, missing 13 games each in 2020 and 2024.
McCaffrey said the recent time off should be of no concern for the season as it
was part of the protocol plan to get him ready.
"Obviously, when you don't practice, the way the media works now is a
firestorm," he said. "But this was kind of part of the plan from the jump was
to ramp up pretty big, get nine, 10 practices in, kind of come back down, and
then ramp back up so we're fresh for the duration. Our staff's done a great job
of coming up with specific plans. I feel great. I feel fresh, and it's good to
be back out there."
Star defensive end Nick Bosa remains out of practice with soreness and
tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee. Bosa tore his right ACL in
Week 3 last season. He started camp on the active roster but has only
participated in individual drills before being shut down nearly three weeks
ago. The Niners have expressed optimism that he will be ready for Week 1.
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