George Kittle Did Not Practice Wednesday; Shanahan Offers Update For Week 2

Sep 14, 2022, 3:11 PM

ARLINGTON, TX - JANUARY 16: San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) looks on during the NFC Wild Card game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys on January 16, 2022 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

(Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

BY JOSEPH JAROSZ

Former Editor

The San Francisco 49ers walk into their home-opener against the Seattle Seahawks banged up. In the Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears, the 49ers lost Elijah Mitchell to an MCL injury. But before the season even started, tight end George Kittle went down with a groin injury.

Coach Kyle Shanahan updated the media on Wednesday on the team’s injuries, noting George Kittle did not practice Wednesday. His status for Week 2 is uncertain.

On Kittle: "He's made a lot of progress, so hopefully we'll have better luck this week."

— Amiliano “Amil” Fragoso (@AmilianoFragoso) September 14, 2022

Kittle missed practices Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday leading into Week 1 before he was announced out Sunday morning. When asked how hard it is to protect Kittle from himself, Shanahan said he’s been with the team for a while, so the two sides know how to communicate.

“In his mind, he’s ready to go every single day,” Shanahan said. “And a lot of times he’s right, but you also got to know that business mentality and that’s not going to change, so we do have to protect him from himself in that way and that’s why it’s kind of a team effort with deciding when the best is going.”