Would George Kittle be ready for training camp? Probably not. But as far as his readiness for Week 1 goes, Kyle Juszczyk is pretty hopeful.
The San Francisco 49ers fullback met with Matt Maiocco at the American Century Championship golf tournament in South Lake Tahoe to discuss the rookies and Juszczyk's appearance at Kittle's Tight End University. Juszczyk was optimistic then, and he remains optimistic now in his response to Maiocco:
"I really did feel that way. I was so impressed by the way he was moving, and I was impressed the last week of OTAs, how he was moving. He was doing this zigzag drill, and he told me he had reached like 16 miles an hour that day. I was already impressed with that. But then, seeing him go through that warm-up, I was like, 'Wow, I really do think there is a chance that he's ready for Week 1.'"
Kittle already provided a rehab update a couple of weeks ago, saying he was ahead of schedule. The thing is, the ahead-of-schedule target was set for mid-November. Not Week 1 of the 2026 NFL Season, which is in early September. It would certainly help Kittle reclaim his No. 1 spot in annual tight end rankings if he had a whole season to tear up the field.
The 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, in an international Week 1 game. If there ever was a Week 1 where they need their star tight end, this is the game.
The San Francisco 49ers fullback met with Matt Maiocco at the American Century Championship golf tournament in South Lake Tahoe to discuss the rookies and Juszczyk's appearance at Kittle's Tight End University. Juszczyk was optimistic then, and he remains optimistic now in his response to Maiocco:
"I really did feel that way. I was so impressed by the way he was moving, and I was impressed the last week of OTAs, how he was moving. He was doing this zigzag drill, and he told me he had reached like 16 miles an hour that day. I was already impressed with that. But then, seeing him go through that warm-up, I was like, 'Wow, I really do think there is a chance that he's ready for Week 1.'"
Kittle already provided a rehab update a couple of weeks ago, saying he was ahead of schedule. The thing is, the ahead-of-schedule target was set for mid-November. Not Week 1 of the 2026 NFL Season, which is in early September. It would certainly help Kittle reclaim his No. 1 spot in annual tight end rankings if he had a whole season to tear up the field.
The 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, in an international Week 1 game. If there ever was a Week 1 where they need their star tight end, this is the game.
3 months ago
