It seems increasingly likely that the San Francisco 49ers will be without tight end George Kittle on Sunday when they open the regular season on the road against the Chicago Bears. Kittle missed his third consecutive practice due to a groin injury.
George Kittle (groin) is not present at the start of #49ers practice. The final injury report of the week will come out later today, but it seems unlikely Kittle will play vs. the #Bears.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) September 9, 2022
During a Friday-morning interview on KNBR, head coach Kyle Shanahan remained hopeful that Kittle would get some work in during practice and possibly be available for the Week 1 matchup. The coach was asked about the status of his star tight end.
"I don't know yet," Shanahan responded. "I'm really hoping it will be all right. I'm trying to think positively on it. He didn't end up getting to go yesterday ... but they'll hit him hard [today]. They'll do it all morning, and hopefully, he'll be able to get out there and do some red zone work today."
Not having Kittle available might be significant, considering this is quarterback Trey Lance's first start as the team's QB1. The tight end has missed 11 games over the past two seasons.
Also absent from practice was offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill, who Shanahan said isn't expected to play this weekend.
49ers practice had no sign of George Kittle or Daniel Brunskill
— Jake Hutchinson (@hutchdiesel) September 9, 2022
Shanahan will reveal official game statuses for injured players after practice. He is scheduled to speak with reporters at about 1:30 p.m. PT.