Former 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci has spent time around George Kittle and the 49ers this offseason, and he’s less optimistic about the star tight end’s return timeline than some.

Kittle suffered a high tear in his right Achilles in the 49ers’ Wild Card victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last season, and at 32 years old, the typical 6-to-12-month recovery window makes a Week 1 return a legitimate question mark for San Francisco’s star.

Mariucci recently told Casino.org/Canada about what he’s seen from Kittle, so far.

“George Kittle seems very optimistic,” said Mariucci. “I’ve spent a lot of time with him, but he’s not there yet. I don’t know if he’ll be ready for the first game. Heck, he tore that Achilles in the playoffs, so that might be too quick of a turnaround. It could be an issue for them offensively.”

George Kittle remains confident in his recovery

We have seen older players like Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins tear their Achilles and come back to play decent football, so I don’t doubt that Kittle can still come back and be highly effective.

However, this puts into question the timetable for return, especially being that those are guys who play quarterback. They don’t have to rely on explosive cuts and movements the way a tight end like Kittle does. That’s a big distinction. Rodgers and Cousins also suffered their injuries much earlier in the prior seasons which allowed more time for the rehab process. 

Kittle, for his part, recently provided his own update, and it was about as George Kittle as it gets.

“I have a chance (to play in Week 1). We’re running around a lot, hitting top speeds. Hopefully we’re back in pads practicing sooner than later. Just trying to check the boxes and not be a dumbass.” – Man, this guy’s awesome. 

Kittle also noted that a decision on his Week 1 status would likely come before the team leaves for Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 2  (the game isn’t until the 11th) to avoid him taking the long flight for a game he wouldn’t even play in.

He stated, “that would probably make the most sense”.

In fact, to no one’s surprise, Kittle also offered a great perspective on the return from injury.

“I want to play in every football game that I can possibly play in, but I’m also aware it’s an 18-week season. If you miss Week 1 and you’re playing Week 2, hey, it is what it is.

“I’m just going to keep that as my goal and then we’ll adjust from there if we need to. But I still believe that, my team still believes that. My surgeon still believes I have a chance, so [I’ll] just keep attacking it.”

Mariucci isn’t worried about the 49ers’ bigger picture

Mariucci was also asked about how big of an issue the injury bug could be for the Niners this season. His answer should give 49er fans some reassurance.

“Well, last year they also had the injury bug big time, and they still managed to win 12 games. That’s a sign of a really good team and good coaching staff. They finished strong. That might have been Kyle Shanahan’s best coaching job last year because they were just snakebit with injuries, and yet he still found ways to win. So now here we go again.

“I don’t think the fans should be worried. They’ve proven they can do it before, so it shouldn’t be an issue this year either.”

Look, I understand where Mariucci is coming from. They haven’t played any games yet, so we can’t fully panic about the 49ers’ season. But it is still not ideal to have all of these injuries piling up.

We’re talking about Kittle trying to return, Nick Bosa also working back, Ricky Pearsall out for the year, and guys like Christian McCaffrey and Mike Evans missing practice occasionally. That’s not a good sign heading into the season. But again, like Mariucci said, they can still have a productive year.

And if we’ve seen anything from Kyle Shanahan, it’s that he can get his team to compete no matter who’s out there on the field. 

Additions to the pass-catching group provide a safety net

The last thing Mariucci hit on was the 49ers’ additions to their receiving corps to offset the injuries to Kittle and Pearsall.

“I think they’ve recruited well. They’ve signed Stribling from Ole Miss, the receiver. They needed a receiver and he’s a fast guy. He’s 6’2”, weighs 200-some pounds, and he runs a 4.36. They needed somebody that can play with Mike Evans, who has had such a great career.

“But for me, the real concern is going to be George Kittle’s health. He’s a tough guy and he’ll try to tough it out, but he had three different lower body injuries last year. Hopefully he can play 16 games, but I’m not so sure. But I do like the fact they brought Deebo Samuel back to help with this problem. That was a good get, not only for receiver depth, but he can play running back too.”

On that note, Deebo Samuel did start very strong in joint practices against the Titans last week, and I would expect him to pick up roughly where he left off, even in the later stage of his career. The point being, the 49ers have done a solid job so far addressing some of these problems in the pass-catching group, and that matters.

If I had to put a guess on it, I think Kittle does not play Week 1. This is a situation where maybe the team protects the player from himself, even though Kittle did offer that solid perspective. But regardless, it sounds like Kittle’s rehab is going well and he’s in good spirits. I would expect to see him at an early point in the season. And like Mariucci said, “He’s a tough guy who’s going to try to tough it out”.

If he can stay healthy, I feel a lot more optimistic about the 49ers’ upcoming season.