Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Kyle Shanahan would be surprised if George Kittle doesn’t play in 49ers-Broncos
Sep 23, 2022 at 7:27 AM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Get ready for tight end
George Kittle's 2022 season debut. He's likely to be on the field with his teammates on Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers visit the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High.
"I'd be surprised if he doesn't play," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday morning on KNBR's
Murph & Mac show. "We can't say for sure yet but he's been good in these two days of practice. Should be good today, and if we don't have any setbacks, he should be playing."
Friday's typically lighter practice is the last before the 49ers board a plane for Denver.
"Any time you add one of your better players out there, it helps in every area," Shanahan added. "George is really good in the run game, and he's good in the pass game, so you've got a better blocker out there, and you've got more explosiveness at the tight end position.
"So we'll see where he's at, but I think everyone knows how good of a player George is in this league when he's healthy, and we've just got to get him back to [being healthy], and hopefully, we can keep it that way."
On Thursday, Kittle was talking to reporters as if he expected to play and as though he had put his groin injury behind him. He admitted to being anxious to get back on the field after being a sideline observer during the first two games.
"That's what Sunday Night Football is for," Kittle said. "
Just going to go out there and let it all out there. It will be really fun."
Kittle suffered his injury on September 5, finally returning to practice a week ago. This week, he has been a limited participant in the team's first two practices.
Shanahan added that there isn't an update on defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who suffered a foot injury against the Seattle Seahawks and hasn't practiced this week.
"Hopefully, he'll get in a little bit today," Shanahan said. "He hasn't been able to go this week yet, so I'm not sure, but it's still early today on Friday. So I'm hoping when he gets in here, he'll be good enough to get a little today in practice, but it's usually half speed today anyways for the D-linemen. ... But if he's out there, I know that's a better sign than him not being able to go."
The 49ers and Broncos kick off on Sunday at 5:20 p.m. PT (6:20 p.m. MT).
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
Related News
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Former NFL WR: Brandon Aiyuk told me he doesn't want to leave 49ers
Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh claims to have recently spoken to Brandon Aiyuk, stating that the star player has no desire to leave the San Francisco 49ers.
Aiyuk and the 49ers are currently negotiating a contract extension, aiming to finalize a new deal. Of course, that hasn't prevented significant media speculation surrounding Aiyuk's future, with many wondering if the delay might hint at a potential trade.
Well-informed 49ers fans know that the team typically finalizes its significant contract extensions closer to training camp, as seen with George Kittle in 2020, Fred Warner in 2021, and Deebo Samuel in 2022. Last year, negotiations with Nick Bosa concluded just days before Week
Breaking down the 49ers drafts under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan
We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room.
We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are
Brock Purdy hopes Kyle Shanahan makes addition to 49ers playbook
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
Malachi Corley welcomes opportunity to play with 49ers WRs
Malachi Corley has been likened to versatile San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. What does Corley, the former Western Kentucky wide receiver, think about the prospect of joining Samuel and the rest of the 49ers' receiving corps?
It's a possibility. Corley is expected to be drafted in the second or third round this week and recently visited the team in Santa Clara. Could it be the 49ers calling his name?
"Put me out there with Deebo," Corley recently told Kay Adams on the "Up and Adams" show. "Deebo, left, Malachi, right, [Brandon] Aiyuk, [Christian] McCaffrey down the middle."
While 49ers fans hope to see Aiyuk remain with the team, negotiations for
