San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle remains focused on returning for Week 1 after suffering an Achilles injury during last season's playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
So far, the recovery appears to be progressing well.
Kittle looked sharp during Tuesday's workouts at Tight End University (TEU) in Nashville, Tennessee. The All-Pro tight end recently revealed that he believes he's ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation and even reached 16 miles per hour while running in cleats over the weekend.
Kittle's teammate, backup quarterback Mac Jones, is also attending TEU this week. During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, guest-hosted by Andrew Siciliano, Jones was asked about Kittle's goal of being ready for the 49ers' season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
"Kittle always looks good," Jones said. "He's always training hard and doing everything he can on his body. He's a wizard when it comes to that stuff. He spends a lot of money on his body and takes care of it, and I think it's going along well.
"I'm not in his body, but he knows where he's at. He knows how he feels, and I'm sure he's going to be ready at some point to go out there and rip it. So, that's Kittle's mindset."
While Jones stopped short of predicting whether Kittle will be available for Week 1, his comments—combined with Kittle's encouraging progress and Tuesday's on-field observations—offer reason for optimism.
Kittle acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges of his recovery is balancing the desire to push forward with the need to avoid setbacks.
"I'm a little bit ahead of schedule, so I'm trying new things," Kittle said this week. "My trainers are like, 'Yeah, just simmer just a little bit.' Basically, what my surgeon told me is don't be a dumbass, and I'm trying my best to just not be a dumbass."
The 49ers star added, "I am on a tight leash, but I'm pulling as hard as I can."
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