The NFL season is upon us, and the San Francisco 49ers will open their season Thursday night in Melbourne, Australia, against the Los Angeles Rams.
One of the biggest storylines leading up to the game, which has felt like a question for months now, centers on veteran tight end George Kittle’s availability. Kittle has spent the entire offseason rehabbing a torn Achilles he suffered in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs last season.
It now seems like the 49ers have answered that question.
49ers Release Injury Report
While the 49ers are in a completely different time zone right now in Australia, they released their official injury report ahead of the game, and Kittle’s name wasn’t on it. That signals that he will play against the Rams.
George Kittle is officially off the injury report and will play in Week 1 against The Rams pic.twitter.com/DkSrL8Dqql
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) September 10, 2026
Kittle and the 49ers have really shied away from giving a definitive answer over the last few days and weeks about whether he’ll play or not. However, with him officially off the injury report, there’s nothing else to debate about his status.
The seven-time Pro Bowler has completed one of the more astonishing and rapid rehabs we’ve seen in a long time considering his injury took place just over seven months ago in January.
Will Kittle Be Limited?
It’s likely that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and the coaching staff won’t throw Kittle into the fire Thursday night.
Shanahan spoke about Kittle and defensive end Nick Bosa’s workloads as the season begins. Bosa is also coming off a major injury, and Shanahan made it clear that the 49ers plan to be smart about how they use both players early in the season.
“We got to be smart with that,” Shanahan said. “They both look great and stuff, but we also definitely have to be smart with that.”
San Francisco 49ers Announce Major George Kittle Update Before Rams Game