The San Francisco 49ers are facing a major question mark to start their 2022 NFL season. Will star tight end George Kittle be available for Week 1? During practice this past week, Kittle surprisingly popped up on the injury report after injuring his groin. After being listed as questionable for most of the week, is Kittle playing today?
Update: George Kittle is inactive for the 49ers’ Week 1 game against the Chicago Bears.
Is George Kittle playing today? Injury update on 49ers TE
Back on Sept. 5, the 28-year-old suffered a ground injury that kept him out of practice for the remainder of the week. Pro Football Network’s NFL Insider Aaron Wilson reported that one source he spoke with characterized Kittle’s status as being fluid but emphasized the groin injury is “not good.”
More importantly, the source added that it would be optimal for Kittle to rest and rehab for a week or two. Another source called it a Grade 2 strain that has limited Kittle’s top-end speed.
With that in mind, it’s unlikely that we see Kittle in this Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Although he very well might decide to play through the injury, realistically, if Kittle does not want to reaggravate the injury, he will need to miss the season opener.
What does the 49ers’ offense look like without Kittle?
To say that Kittle is an important part of this 49ers offense would be quite an understatement. Kittle was drafted in the fifth round in 2017 by the 49ers and has earned three Pro Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl appearance since then.
In 2020, Kittle signed a five-year, $75 million contract with an $18 million signing bonus, making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL at the time. However, he is now second on that list to Darren Waller, who recently signed a massive extension with the Raiders.
Without Kittle, first-year starting quarterback Trey Lance is going to need to rely on Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel to help move the ball. Samuel, who also signed a huge contract this offseason, will continue to be the team’s WR1 after having an impressive 2021 campaign.
Aiyuk was a little less impressive last season, finishing with 56 catches for 826 yards and five touchdowns. However, he recorded over 100 receiving yards just once in 17 games.
