Kyle Shanahan puts NFL on notice: 49ers’ George Kittle has improved his route-running

As if opposing defenses didn't have enough to worry about while trying to find ways to stop George Kittle. It sounds like the San Francisco 49ers' All-Pro may be getting even better, which is hard to believe considering he is already considered to be the best all-around tight end in the game and a yards-after-the-catch machine.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was told after today's practice that Kittle appears to have improved his route-running. He agrees.

"I saw it today, yeah," Shanahan said of his tight end. "We've been challenging George, and George works as hard as anyone there is, and I thought today was his best day of route-running."

There is no doubt that Kittle is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons at Shanahan's disposal. The tight end racked up over 1,000 yards receiving in 2018 and 2019. He recorded 634 receiving yards last season despite appearing in just eight games. If you spread that out through a 16-game season, that would have been three consecutive years of surpassing the 1,000-yard milestone.

That's not bad for a fifth-round pick.

Kittle does need to work on staying healthy, though. He knows it and has made finding ways to remain on the field a priority this offseason. An MCL sprain and a broken foot sidelined the tight end for half of last season.

"A big thing for me this offseason was just foot health, ankle health," Kittle said in May. "That's the thing that's just kind of lingered on me. ... You know, doing whatever I can just to be as healthy as I can be, and as strong in those areas that have been my weakness, and just focus on that because you can't do the same thing and expect different results. So, just trying to add as many new different things that I feel like are making positive influences on my life and on my body."