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    Athletic: Kittle (Achilles) ahead of schedule

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    The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reports George Kittle (Achilles) is ahead of schedule.

    Kittle did some light cutting a few weeks ago in workouts and says he’s running over 16 miles an hour. The story also quotes Kyle Juszczyk as saying he thinks “there’s a real chance” Kittle is back for Week 1. We’re not sure if we’d go that far just yet, but it sure sounds like Kittle has a chance to be back in September despite tearing his Achilles against the Eagles in the playoffs.
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  • SF Tight End #85
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    Kittle met with the media this week and said that the Achilles is “doing great” and he has had no setbacks. He even said it’s realistic that he could come back eight months after tearing his Achilles. The tight end turns 33 this October and still hasn’t been cleared for practice as he worked off to the side during OTAs. Jake Tonges will fill in for Kittle if he has to miss any time this season.
  • SF Tight End #85
    This is encouraging, though Shanahan added that he doesn’t want to say Kittle is “on track” to play, but he knows Kittle is “shooting for” a Week 1 return. One month ago, 49ers general manager John Lynch said he is “hopeful” that Kittle will be able to play in Week 1. It sounds like Kittle should return early in the 2026 season, even if Week 1 is out of reach. If they start him on the physically unable to perform list, he could return in Week 5. For the time being, it feels safe to say that he should be back by Week 5 or sooner. Anything can happen, though.
  • SF Tight End #85
    Per Lynch, Kittle is “progressing at a good rate” as he works through his rehab program. Kittle ruptured his Achilles tendon on January 11, 2026, in the 49ers’ Wild Card Round win over the Eagles. Dr. Neal ElAttrache repaired Kittle’s Achilles tendon later that week. A little over five weeks ago, ESPN’s Nick Wagoner said “it’s reasonable” to think Kittle could return in Week 5 “or so.” It sounds like Kittle now has a chance to beat that date, but we are a long way off from knowing anything definitive and Lynch’s status updates have trended towards being overly positive — Brandon Aiyuk is coming back any week now.
  • SF Tight End #85
    Wagoner’s long piece on Kittle’s injury is rooted in the idea that Kittle’s Achilles tear was “clean” and “happened high up by his soleus,” meaning the blood flow wasn’t as poor as it could be during the recovery. Kittle did not entirely rule out the idea of being ready for Week 1. We’d be surprised if a tight end entering his age-33 season was ready for Week 1, but we’ve learned not to count out any wild physical feats from Kittle. This timeline makes him a little more interesting in 2026 best ball, at the very least.
  • SF Tight End #85
    49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan adds that Kittle “is in good spirits,” post-op. That is good to hear. Kittle, 32, ruptured his Achilles tendon in San Francisco’s Wild Card win over the Eagles. He is under contract through 2029, having signed a four-year extension in April 2025. The procedure was notably performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
  • SF Tight End #85
    Kittle, 32, has a long road to recovery ahead of him and could begin the 2026 season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list. He would be required to miss at least four games in that scenario. The veteran tight end finished the regular season as the half-PPR TE13, having missed Weeks 2-6 with a hamstring injury and Week 17 with an ankle injury. He caught 57-of-66 targets for 628 yards and seven touchdowns. The 49ers tend to keep injury information under wraps, but Kittle’s participation level in organized team activities, training camp and the preseason should provide actionable information for late-summer drafts. Entering his age-33 season and fighting with a mobility-limiting injury, he will be an extremely risky pick in 2026 drafts regardless of the offseason reporting.
  • SF Tight End #85
    Playing through an ankle injury of late, Kittle planted with extreme force in the second quarter and suffered what appeared to be a ruptured Achilles tendon. We, obviously, are not doctors, but these have become sadly easy to spot. Even were the worst-case scenario somehow avoided, Kittle is obviously done for the day and almost certainly for any potential 49ers Super Bowl run. The question then quickly becomes if the 32-year-old can be ready by next Week 1. At this stage of the offseason, it is not terribly likely, even though Achilles timelines have condensed in recent seasons. Jake Tonges is the next man up on Sunday and for however long San Francisco can stay alive.
  • SF Tight End #85
    Kittle got in limited work on Wednesday and Thursday and was spotted practicing again on Friday. He did play against the Seahawks in Week 18 so it’s not much of a surprise that he’ll be ready here. Kittle’s output will be paramount as the 49ers try to find a non-Christian McCaffrey trick over the middle against a fierce Eagles defense. He should make for a top-of-line DFS or Playoff Best Ball play at TE this week.
  • SF Tight End #85
    Kittle is on track to play, though it would be great to see him practice fully on Friday. The 49ers could be short-staffed when they face the Eagles this week. No. 1 WR Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle) has not yet resumed practicing since aggravating the PCL sprain in his knee in Week 17.
  • SF Tight End #85
    While we would prefer to see Kittle begin the week with a full practice, we cannot complain about this outcome. Kittle made it through Week 18 without suffering any reported setbacks. His early-week participation puts him on track to play in the 49ers’ Wild Card Weekend game against the Eagles.

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    ESPN’s Rich Cimini reports Geno Smith’s assault allegations case has been declared “inactive” by police.

    No charges are being brought and future action is contingent on new information or evidence being brought forward, per a police spokesman. Police were reportedly unable to determine the primary aggressor in the physical altercation. Smith’s home camera did not show any physical altercation occur between Smith and a woman. While it’s possible that there is more evidence to be seen, it seems safe to proceed as if there’s no reason to believe Smith will be held liable for whatever occurred here.
  • CLE Defensive Tackle #96
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    ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reports it’s “unclear” if Maliek Collins (quad) will be ready for the start of training camp.

    Collins was carted off in Week 13 and spent the rest of the season on injured reserve. He did not participate in OTAs or minicamp. The 31-year-old veteran had 6.5 sacks last year and will be asked to do more in the absence of Myles Garrett this season.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reports George Kittle (Achilles) is ahead of schedule.

    Kittle did some light cutting a few weeks ago in workouts and says he’s running over 16 miles an hour. The story also quotes Kyle Juszczyk as saying he thinks “there’s a real chance” Kittle is back for Week 1. We’re not sure if we’d go that far just yet, but it sure sounds like Kittle has a chance to be back in September despite tearing his Achilles against the Eagles in the playoffs.
  • DEN Running Back #28
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    The Denver Post’s Luca Evans believes Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin are battling for one roster spot in training camp.

    Badie probably has the edge given his versatility on special teams and third-down work. McLaughlin’s path to a roster spot “looks dicey” per Evans.
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    The Denver Post’s Luca Evans believes Jonah Coleman could spell J.K. Dobbins for short-yardage touches in the early going.

    Coleman has been noted to be a passing-down consideration instantly — he’s essentially ticketed to fill Tyler Badie’s role from last year per Evans — but the idea that he could get in on short-yardage work is pretty interesting. It’s hard to believe that Coleman will have major fantasy value right away — if at all — this season. But that’s more about the lack of snaps in play than about Coleman’s talent. A Dobbins injury could lead to more Coleman carries than RJ Harvey-reliant managers would like.
  • NYG Quarterback #6
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    Giants coach John Harbaugh said with Jaxson Dart “can live in a lot of different worlds” and “we can run RPOs, we can run quarterback-driven runs.”

    The gist of what Harbaugh is saying is that Dart is able to play in many scheme configurations, but what fantasy managers will love to hear is the idea that the Giants are open to running RPOs and quarterback-driven runs with one of the best athletes at the position last year. Harbaugh downplayed the risk of injury to Dart by comparing his style to Lamar Jackson and noting that Jackson would “look[s] at you like you’ve got three heads” if you commented about playing safer. Dart is going just outside the top 100 picks on most websites in mid-July — though he’s 70th in ADP at Yahoo! — and figures to be in the QB1 conversation this year if he can stay healthy.
  • SF Wide Receiver #11
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    ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that “he doesn’t think” the Commanders are going to bring in Brandon Aiyuk “at this stage.”

    Well, let’s see if we can get a few Instagram posts off that change minds, Brandon. Aiyuk and the 49ers are at an impasse and he has not posted on his social accounts that he’s not “doing business” with the 49ers at this time, and unless he reports to the 49ers they can’t actually release him anyway. This situation has turned from a fait accompli that he’d eventually join the Commanders into something that surely has them second-guessing things, as reported by Nicki Jhavala of The Athletic earlier last month.
  • FA Wide Receiver #8
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    ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports “at least” five teams have been checking in on free agent WR Stefon Diggs.

    Fowler said a team could sign Diggs ahead of training camp, but didn’t do us the courtesy of naming any of those teams beyond the Commanders. He also pointed at the Ravens as a team that attacks late free agency often. Diggs is one of several unsigned receivers still waiting for a home as we near the start of training camp, and there’s a belief in his camp that he’ll be even better this year now that he’s shed a snap count he was on while managing 2024’s torn ACL recovery.
  • NYG Wide Receiver #1
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    Giants HC John Harbaugh said WR Malik Nabers (knee) is expected to work his way into practice as training camp starts.

    Appearing on the Dominique Foxworth show on ESPN Monday, Harbaugh said Nabers is expected to work his way into practice “one way or another.” While he added that the 22-year-old wide receiver is on schedule and doing better every day, Harbaugh wasn’t offering any guarantees on the timeline. Nabers has had two surgeries on his right knee since tearing his ACL last September. He would be a prime candidate to see his ADP fall if he lands on the PUP list rather than the practice field as camp begins.
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    Speaking on the Netflix series Quarterback, Baker Mayfield revealed he played with a sprained MCL and PCL after Week 2 of last season.

    This comes from a post that Buccaneers beat writer Rick Stroud wrote after having a chance to watch the series. In addition to the knee injuries, Stroud notes that Mayfield also had a “bad biceps contusion” that affected his velocity, in addition to the left shoulder injury he suffered in Week 12 against the Rams. Hopefully a healthy offseason and a chance to fully rehab these injuries will go a long way in Mayfield having a bounce back season after he was visibly struggling during various points of last season. The 31-year-old QB is entering the final year of his deal with the Buccaneers, and while he has expressed interest in signing a long-term extension, recent reports suggest he and the Bucs are nowhere near an agreement on a new contract.