San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is set to take another step toward a Week 1 return.
ESPN's Pat McAfee on Monday reported Kittle is set to participate in team drills for the 49ers in Tuesday's practice after only participating in the individual portions of practices since being activated off the PUP list.
It isn't necessarily a surprise that Kittle is going to work out in team drills since clearing that hurdle will be paramount to the team being comfortable flying him to Australia to play in Week 1. Kittle will first have to get through the team drills without a problem, and then they'll see how his body responds to going through the closest thing he's had to live football since January.
BREAKING: According to source(s) @gkittle46 will
be a part of team reps for the 49ers tomorrow#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/xQC1dFPgGB
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 31, 2026
Barring a disaster, all signs have pointed toward Kittle playing in Week 1 vs. the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. There's been optimism about it since early in the offseason and there's never been any counter reporting to indicate Kittle and the team are eyeing anything but a Week 1 return.
There's always a chance Kittle doesn't quite feel right after Tuesday's practice and the team shuts him down until they're gearing up for Week 2, but it sure seems like the 49ers and Kittle are staying on the timeline that gets him in uniform for their 2026 opener.
More 49ers: San Francisco 49ers' 2026 practice squad tracker
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Pat McAfee reports great news for 49ers, George Kittle
