The 49ers Should Not Bring George Kittle to Australia for Week 1

George Kittle wants to do something heroic and unprecedented in fewer than two weeks, and the 49ers shouldn't let him.

He wants to play in the season opener in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams even though he tore his Achilles on Jan. 11 -- not even nine months ago. Last week, the 49ers activated him from the PUP List, and he suited up for two practices and went through positional drills, although he didn't compete in 11-on-11 team drills. Still, it seemed the plan was to increase his workload gradually, bring him to Australia and play him against the Rams, barring any setbacks.

On Thursday night after the 49ers' final preseason game, Shanahan was asked at his postgame press conference about the injured players on his team in general, not Kittle in particular.

"Are any of your injuries going to affect Week 1?" A reporter asked. "When you look at the overall roster, Ricky Pearsall is the only main guy that you've lost."

"Yeah, you hope so," Shanahan answered. "Those are things that we have to evaluate sooner than later. There are just guys who are going to be close, guys like Mykel Williams, guys like George Kittle who has taken a step back, want to see how Nick Bosa does in these practices. They're guys who are healthy and doing good, but are they ready to get back and play right away?"

Keep in mind, Shanahan wasn't asked about Kittle specifically. Shanahan brought him up on his own and lumped him in with Mykel Williams and Nick Bosa, two players coming off ACL tears. Williams in particular is on the PUP List and hasn't practiced all offseason. It seems highly unlikely that he will play Week 1.

It sounds like Shanahan wants to be cautious with Kittle. As Shanahan said, just because Kittle is healthy enough to practice doesn't mean he's ready to play in an actual football game. In addition, Shanahan said that Kittle took a step back this past week, which probably means that he experienced soreness after returning to practice. Nothing serious, but something nonetheless.

Kittle's recovery won't be linear. Some days, he'll feel better than others. And he's way ahead of schedule as is. The 49ers should treat him with an abundance of caution. He's too important in December and January to risk his season in early September when he's less than a year removed from an Achilles tear.

No matter how good Kittle says he feels, the 49ers should leave him home for the season opener and play the Rams in Australia without him. If they lose, that would be better than losing Kittle to a serious setback that could knock him out for months, if not longer.

That goes for Bosa and Williams, too. None of them have gone through a full practice yet this offseason. None of them are in football shape. None of them should go to Australia.

Hopefully, Shanahan feels the same way. It sounds like he does.

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