The 49ers are reeling from a series of injuries heading into Week 3 against the Rams, but confirmed the bad news expected around star tight end George Kittle, who has been struggling throughout the week of practice with a hamstring problem. Kittle, the 49ers announced, has been downgraded from questionable to “out” for Sunday.
Kittle is coming off an excellent game in Week 2, in which he caught seven of the eight passes thrown his way for 76 yards and a touchdown.
The 49ers elevated second-year tight end Braden Willis from the practice squad on Saturday to fill Kittle’s spot. He will be the No. 3 tight end behind now-starter Eric Saubert and Jake Tonges.
In his media conference on Friday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was complimentary of Saubert, who has been in on 32% of the 49ers snaps through two weeks and made two catches for 26 yards, both in Week 1. Kittle has a season grade of 70.8 at Pro Football Focus, which ranks ninth among 62 tight ends. Saubert’s grade is 68.8, which is 12th.
“I thought he’s done a hell of a job,” Shanahan said of Saubert. “He’s stepped in well. Kittle was cramping most of the game, so he had to do a lot throughout the Minnesota game. He’s been real consistent since he’s been here. If he’s got to do it all, he’s up for the challenge. He’s shown he can help us in the passing and the run game.”
49ers Will Also Be Without Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey
There’s no telling exactly how long Kittle will be out for the 49ers. Hamstrings are notably finicky, and could take weeks to heal. Or Kittle could be back next week. Rest is really the only way to fix the issue.
Shanahan was vague about the severity of Kittle’s hamstring troubles.
“(He) came in Thursday morning and were still sore. And it was still today with Kittle. So, that’s the severity of it,” Shanahan said.
Kittle is not alone for the 49ers when it comes to injuries. The 49ers still have some late decisions, but are already without fellow offensive stars wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Christian McCaffrey.
Defensively, star pass rusher Nick Bosa is questionable and top cornerback Charvarius Ward is also dealing with a hamstring issue. Bosa injured a rib during practice.
George Kittle Played Through Injury in 2023
Kittle has had a reputation as a fairly quick healer over the last few years. He underwent an injury-ravaged 2020 season in which he played only eight games and missed the Pro Bowl for the only time in six seasons from 2018-23.
He missed only three games in 2021 and two in 2022. Last year, Kittle was healthy all season, but sat out a meaningless Week 18 game to rest before the playoffs.
Kittle revealed in May that he had played through an injury for most of 2023, and had the injury repaired in the offseason with core muscle surgery.
“Quite a while,” Kittle said, when asked how long he’d dealt with the issue. “I’d say like Week 9-10. We took some MRIs of it and some stuff didn’t show up, so we weren’t entirely sure what we were dealing with until I got the surgery. That was a tough one. We tried to it figure out, but things weren’t popping up on the scans, so just something we were playing through for probably like 10 weeks.
“Fun stuff.
