There might not be a more important piece to the San Francisco 49ers offense than tight end George Kittle. Kittle has been one of the NFL’s more consistent TEs since entering the league seven years ago and is the heart and soul of this 49ers offense.
Despite being banged up and being forced to miss time throughout his playing career, Kittle has always prided himself on being tough and trying to be there for his teammates. Kittle will do anything he can to try and find a way to get on the field for his team and battle through his various injuries.
With the team’s Week 1 contest mere days away, will Kittle be able to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers, or will the 49ers protect him from further risk of injury? Let’s take a look at everything we know about Kittle and his injury status for Week 1.
Will George Kittle Be Ready To Play the Steelers on Sunday?
While the 49ers have not said officially if Kittle will be playing on Sunday yet, San Francisco general manager and Pro Football Hall of Fame safety John Lynch gave an update on the tight end’s most recent battle with a groin injury to KNBR in San Francisco.
“I think there’s always concern when something persists, and this has kind of lingered. George usually has about one of these things a year, and then once he gets through it, he’s good. And so, knock on wood, that’s the case.”
While the hope is there for Kittle to be ready for Week 1, those comments from Lynch don’t come off as a ringing endorsement of Kittle’s availability. Any injury, especially soft tissue, that gets described as lingering is something that is a concern and usually is for a while.
While the 49ers would surely love to get off to a hot start this season — having Kittle in the fold for Week 1 would certainly help with that — they may opt to go the safe route with Kittle as they look at the bigger picture.
If Kittle is good to go, then he should, by all means, play. But if there is a chance for reaggravation, the 49ers may opt to look at the season in totality and hold him back for this one game with the other 16 and beyond in mind.
