SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers activated tight end George Kittle from the physically unable to perform list Sunday as he takes the most significant step yet in his return from a torn right Achilles.
Kittle has maintained since suffering the injury in January that he would have a chance to be back for the team's Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Along the way, Kittle has hit every benchmark in his rehab that the team has put in front of him and said recently that he would be back to practice "sooner than later" without offering a specific timeline.
Apparently, sooner meant Sunday, as his opportunity to get back on the practice field has arrived.
"George isn't a big put-a-date-on-it [guy] and I'm not going to be that dude either, but I think you guys can tell how he's talking, how he looks," coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday. "I agree, I think it's sooner than later."
Kittle has been on the PUP list throughout training camp because of the Achilles rupture he suffered in a Jan. 11 playoff win against the Philadelphia Eagles. In the days after, Kittle insisted he wouldn't miss much of the 2026 season, if any, in part because the tear happened higher up in his leg, which promotes better blood flow and recovery.
Last week, Kittle called the Achilles recovery process "the most boring rehab in the world." But he has stuck to it and insisted that even if he is not cleared to play in Week 1, he wouldn't begin the season on the PUP list.
With Sunday's move, Kittle will, barring a setback, definitely be back at some point in the first four weeks. It's just a matter of how soon he is ready to play in a game after not playing football for more than seven months.
"I want to play in every football game that I possibly can play in, but I'm also aware it's an 18-week season," Kittle said Aug. 16. "If you miss Week 1 and you're playing Week 2, hey, it is what it is. ... I'm just going to keep that as my goal, and then we'll adjust from there if we need to."
