SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers activated tight end George Kittle from the physically unable to perform list Sunday as he takes the most significant step yet in his return from a torn right Achilles.
And Kittle wasn’t the only prominent Niner returning Sunday as running back Christian McCaffrey practiced for the first time since Aug. 10. McCaffrey did individual drills but also got reps in the team period, including a handful of carries.
After the session, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak stated having Kittle and McCaffrey back offered a noticeable boost in the late days of training camp.
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“It definitely just gives us energy,” Kubiak stated. “It just changes things. You have two Hall of Fame-caliber players out there who are back out there and getting their work in, and they practice at a high standard, and they lift everybody up.
“It’s good to see them back out there.”
Kittle has maintained since suffering the injury in January that he would have a chance to be back for the team’s Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Along the way, Kittle has hit every benchmark the team has put in front of him and stated recently that he’d be back to practice “sooner than later” without offering a specific timeline.
Apparently, sooner meant Sunday as Kittle returned to the practice field for individual work in full pads for the first time in this training camp.
Kittle has been on the physically unable to perform list all through training camp because of the Achilles rupture he suffered in a Jan. 11 playoff win against the Philadelphia Eagles. In the days after, Kittle insisted he wouldn’t miss much of the 2026 season, if any, in part because the tear happened higher up in his leg, which promotes better blood flow and recovery.
Last week, Kittle called the Achilles recovery process “the most boring rehab in the world.” But he has stuck to the plan and insisted that even if he’s not cleared to play in Week 1, he won’t begin the season on the PUP list.
Sunday’s move means Kittle will, barring a setback, definitely be back at some point in the first four weeks. It’s just a matter of how soon he’s ready to play in a game after not playing football for more than seven months.
“I want to play in every football game that I possibly can play in but I’m also aware it’s an 18-week season,” Kittle stated Aug. 16. “If you miss Week 1 and you’re playing Week 2, hey, it is what it is.
“I’m just going to keep that as my goal and then we’ll adjust from there if we need to.”
McCaffrey, meanwhile, has been sitting put practice for most of the past two weeks with what the team has referred to as tightness. Last week, Shanahan declined to say where that tightness was taking place but indicated that McCaffrey would be back on the field soon enough.
After working out in the weight room Saturday, McCaffrey was back on the field Sunday. When the practice was over, he suggested his recent absence has actually been part of the team’s plan for him all along in an effort to be hitting peak form when the season opens in September.
“Obviously when you don’t practice, the way the media works now it’s a firestorm,” McCaffrey stated. “But this was kind of part of the plan from the jump was to ramp up pretty big, get nine, 10 practices in, kind of come back down and then ramp back up so we’re fresh for the duration. Our staff’s done a great job of coming up with specific plans. And again, I feel great. I feel fresh, and it’s good to be back out there.”
