The San Francisco 49ers have been without star tight end George Kittle since Sept. 7, when he left the 49ers season opener against the Seattle Seahawks with a hamstring injury.
Surprisingly, San Francisco has managed to go 3-1 in the four games without Kittle and sit in first place atop the NFC West.
Now, more good news could be in store for San Francisco soon as 49ers general manager John Lynch gave an update on Kittle's injury status earlier this week.
When Could George Kittle Be Back?
On Thursday morning, Lynch said he's "fairly confident" Kittle will resume practicing next week. If that happens, Kittle will have a chance to play against the Atlanta Falcons, according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows.
"I do believe we're nearing, we're getting there," Lynch said.
The 49ers will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but with Kittle not even practicing yet, he won't be ready for that. However, according to Lynch, that could be the last game he misses if all goes according to plan.
There’s a strong chance #49ers George Kittle will return vs Atlanta 💯 pic.twitter.com/khicyAsoXU
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) October 8, 2025
Kittle caught four passes for 25 yards and a touchdown before leaving the 49ers' Week 1 game against the Seahawks early. San Francisco is extremely beat up early in the season, and getting Kittle back will be a huge boost for the offense.
Along with Kittle being out, receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, quarterback Brock Purdy and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos all missed practice on Wednesday due to their injuries.
The 49ers went into last Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams beat up and came out with a shocking win, and it's looking like they'll have to do so against the Buccaneers once again in Week 6.