SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Ten days before the San Francisco 49ers travel to Australia for their highly anticipated 2025 NFL season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on September 11, the franchise has received a wave of encouraging injury updates for three of its most critical offensive and defensive stars.
The biggest headline centers on star tight end George Kittle, who was officially removed from the team’s physically unable to perform (PUP) list on Sunday. The move reignites widespread optimism that the five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro could make a shockingly early return from a ruptured right Achilles tendon injury in time for the Week 1 matchup.
Kittle suffered the season-ending Achilles tear back on January 11 during the 49ers’ playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. In a remarkable recovery timeline, he has worked his way back to team practice in less than eight months, beating the typical 9-12 month recovery window for this type of injury.
As a foundational piece of San Francisco’s offensive scheme, Kittle brings unmatched value as both a dynamic receiving threat and a physical run-blocker. Last season, he recorded 57 receptions for 628 yards and seven touchdowns, cementing his status as one of the league’s top players at his position. Kittle had previously stated he needed to complete padded practice reps before the team’s September 2 departure for Australia to confirm his fitness for the trip and potential Week 1 participation.
Joining Kittle in a return to team practice is All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, who had missed the previous two weeks of camp with what the team described as general muscle tightness. The 30-year-old running back enters 2025 on the heels of an ironman 2024 season, where he logged 1,010 total offensive snaps across the regular season and playoffs. That mark made him just the ninth running back in the last 20 seasons to top 1,000 snaps in a single campaign, and he also became only the second player in the last decade to record at least 450 combined rushing carries and receptions in one season.
The minor soft tissue issue that sidelined McCaffrey has raised some historical red flags for the 49ers. In both 2019 (with the Carolina Panthers) and 2023 (with the 49ers), McCaffrey topped 400 total touches in a season, only to suffer significant injuries the following year that forced him to miss 13 games each in 2020 and 2024 after limited playing time.
While two key offensive stars have returned to action, the 49ers are still monitoring star defensive end Nick Bosa, who remains sidelined from full team practice with soreness and tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee. Bosa tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Week 3 of last season, and while he opened this year’s training camp on the active roster, he has only participated in individual drills before being held out nearly three weeks ago. Team officials have maintained they remain optimistic Bosa will be fully fit and ready for the September 11 season opener.
The 49ers are set to depart for Sydney on September 2, where they will face the Rams in the NFL’s latest annual regular season game hosted outside the United States, with all three star players targeting a spot in the historic matchup.