The San Francisco 49ers have been missing the services of arguably their best offensive weapon, with tight end George Kittle still unable to play as of Week 8 because of a nagging calf issue that landed him a stint on the injured reserve. Kittle, however, appears to be close to a much-awaited return, as he's taken a key step towards the goal of playing in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals at home.
Via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk:
Tight end George Kittle is set to take a step back toward the 49ers lineup on Wednesday.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that the plan is for Kittle to take part in practice for the first time since he went on injured reserve with a calf injury in early October.
Here's also another note from Matt Maiocco of NBCS:
The #49ers expect George Kittle to be back next week, Kyle Shanahan said.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) October 27, 2021
The 49ers last had Kittle on the field in Week 4's 28-21 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks in which the tight end caught four of 10 targets for 40 receiving yards.
Despite his lengthy absence, Kittle remains second on the 49ers roster in terms of receiving yards (227) and targets, which evidently shows the lack of depth in the team's passing attack and San Francisco's dedication to run instead. In fact, the 49ers are sixth in the NFL with a 45.54 rush play percentage and 11th with 123.7 rushing yards per contest.
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