The San Francisco 49ers have once again been hit hard by injuries this season—a storyline all too familiar for the Faithful. Fortunately, the team could soon get a key pass-catching weapon back on the field, while another remains further away from a return.

General manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Thursday morning to provide updates on two of the 49ers' biggest offensive stars—tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.


George Kittle progressing well


Kittle suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 and was placed on injured reserve, making Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the earliest possible return date.

"George is doing really well," Lynch said. "We put him on that short-term IR. He's not even eligible until after the Rams game. I think Tampa would be the first game that George is eligible. He's tracking well, putting in a lot of really good work, like George always does.

"And the cool thing about George, that energy, that presence that Kittle has, it's really unique and special. He's been here the whole time, and he's shown tremendous leadership.

"It's killing him not being out there. He was so prepared for this season, it happened in that first quarter at Seattle, but that happens sometimes. And George has just gone, done what he's always done, and got back to work, and he's been a great presence around our team."

Brandon Aiyuk still a ways off?


While Kittle is trending toward a potential Week 6 return, Aiyuk's situation is different. The veteran receiver is working his way back from a significant knee injury, and while there's optimism, Lynch cautioned fans not to expect a quick comeback.


"No setbacks," Lynch said of Aiyuk. "I keep coming back to there's different levels when you do these ACLs, and Brandon had a fairly significant injury, involving a lot of different things in his knee. He's a really gifted athlete. He's a very hard worker. And so, when you combine that, you tend to come back at a good clip.

"There's no absolutes on these things, so he's got to continue to hit markers, but he is tracking well. He's working hard, and we'll just continue to do that, and we'll be a better team when Brandon's out there.

"And so, we look forward to that day, but it's not close. But when we have some more information on that, we'll be forthright with it."



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