After three workouts this week, George Kittle will debut the season on Sunday. The All-Pro’s tight finish picked up a groin injury shortly before the season and that kept him out for two weeks.
Injuries are a regular occurrence for Kittle on his second contract, but he will partner with Jimmy Garoppolo in a “new” offense -look 49ers on Sunday night in Denver. Kyle Shanahan said Friday the sixth-year ticket taker will not have any restrictions on entering the 49ers-Broncos match.
Knee, ankle, foot and calf injuries have hindered Kittle as a professional player. A calf ailment cost Kittle three games last season, while a leg problem – a broken bone – was his most significant setback. That break comes midway through the 2020 season, in which Garoppolo and many other 49-year-olds have long missed.
Constant illnesses interrupted Kittle on his $15 million-a-year contract. The former fifth-round picker signed that extension just before the 2020 season, and much of Kittle’s injury problem came after that. Still, the Iowa product – entering the season 29 years old – is one of the NFL’s tightest finishes. His ability to block and receive the ball represents a rare combination in modern football, giving the 49ers a unique weapon – who have certainly sparked Garoppolo-led attacks in for years.
Despite missing three games last season, Kittle caught 71 910-meter passes and six career-high touchdowns. Those numbers don’t quite match his late 2010 job – the nearby year-end record was 1,377 yards in 2018 and 1,053 in the 14-game standings in 2019 – but the 49ers’ offense not exactly have a close alternative to their dual threat. final level. He stands to support a team that is re-adapting to Garoppolo and dealing with multiple injuries when it comes back to running (for starters). Elijah Mitchell and rookie round three Tyrion Davis-Price).
