George Kittle, the 49ers’ star tight end, is reportedly already running and cutting at nearly full speed as he works back from injury. This dude is hitting the speed benchmarks set for him on the GPS, and he says he is “pretty close” to his pre-injury numbers. While we are all trying to process a tough 17-7 preseason loss for our Seattle Seahawks against the Dallas Cowboys, our NFC West rivals are looking to get their biggest offensive weapon back on the field.
Kittle’s Comeback Trail Could Spell Trouble
For most of his recovery process, Kittle has been grinding through seated and standing calf raises every single day. That sounds like pure torture, but it’s clearly paying off, with his workouts taking on a more football-specific approach lately. Last week, he was out there running routes and catching passes from a team staffer on a side field, looking close to full speed. Kittle has a target date in mind for returning to practice, but he is keeping that under wraps. What he did say, though, is that he is “very confident” he won’t start the season on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he intends to be back within the season’s first four games. That’s a scary thought when you consider what he brings to that offense.
Niners Trying to Round Out Their Roster
It is not all about the big names for the 49ers, though. They just handed tight end Jake Tonges, a former tech bro, an $8 million contract, calling it a “full-circle moment” for him. The Niners apparently run a ton of 22-personnel formations, which means two tight ends on the field. Tonges is pegged as a prototypical receiving tight end, while Farrell is known for his blocking. First-year tight ends coach Cam Clemmons, who used to be an assistant offensive line coach, is pushing them to broaden their games. Clemmons challenged Tonges, telling him, “Jake, your ceiling isn’t last year. Last year was just kind of the beginning.” Meanwhile, wide receiver Jacob Cowing had a couple of hard falls in practice, including a diving 45-yard reception on a deep pass from Purdy where he beat cornerback Deommodore Lenoir. Earlier, Cowing and Marques Sigle took hard spills going up for another Purdy pass, showing that this position battle is still wide open heading into preseason Week 2. Even Brock Purdy’s mindset is a topic, with OC Klay Kubiak reminding him, “you want the mindset to drive the football,” and Purdy apparently taking that to heart.
So, while the Niners are tightening up their roster and getting their star tight end ready, our own Seattle Seahawks are looking to bounce back from that 17-7 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys. That early August result stings, even in preseason. It is a stark reminder that every team, including our rivals down south, is already dialing up the intensity. With the 49ers heading into preseason Week 2 with key position battles still undecided, we need to see our Hawks tighten things up and give us something big to look forward to in their next outing.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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