The San Francisco 49ers returned to practice on Sunday. A couple of players sat out, beyond the usual suspects. Gracen Halton (ankle) and Dominick Puni (concussion) missed practice. We’ll see if those injuries prevent Halton and Puni from participating in this week’s joint practice or preseason game against the Chargers.
As for quarterback Kurtis Rourke and his rib injury, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak doesn’t believe his injury will be long-term: “I don’t think it’ll be long. I think he just needs to heal up a little bit and get him back out there. We don’t think it’s anything long-term.”
Rourke did not practice during the previous two practices.
Kubiak said Rourke was “excellent” as far as getting the huddle organized and getting the play call in, and executed “really well,” saying he was “really pleased with how he played.” You have to remember, it was Rourke’s first live action since 2024.
When asked if he had seen enough if he had seen enough for Rourke to stick around in the NFL, Kubiak said it’s “premature,” despite Rourke having a “bright future” with a lot of room to grow:
“That is why we drafted him, because he thought he was an NFL quarterback. I think we saw a lot of talent where he thought he was better than a 7th-round pick, but he had an injury in college that we knew he wasn’t going to be able to play his first year very much, so his draft value fell a little bit.
But, evaluating, we saw an NFL thrower who was very bright, had the right size, and had a chance to be a player. We still think he is. I think he’s taken steps in that direction. But he’s got to keep going.”
It’s one game, but Rourke made a strong statement to make the roster.
As for George Kittle, Kubiak said he’s heard “relentless positivity.” Week 1 still isn’t off the table for Kittle, who seems to be trending in the right direction.
Kittle spoke to the media after Sunday’s practice. The team is 17 days away from flying to Australia. He believes he “has a chance” to play.
“I’ve been 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 is what I would say.
Kittle said he spoke with Richard Sherman about the rehab process of an Achilles injury. He said building a strong foundation after the next eight weeks is the most important part: “If you build a strong foundation, get your calf muscle back, get your strength back, then you’re allowed to train faster and get your body ready to go faster. So, we dominated those 8 weeks. Had a really good rehab.”
Kittle mentioned how a Week 1 target date made it easy to light a fire under him. He said he was doing seated calf raises within ten minutes of taking his cast off.
Kittle said he’s hitting the numbers that he needs to hit as far as the GPS times and markers go. Kittle understands that he needs to practice before he plays: “I don’t want my first time in pads traveling to Australia. I don’t think that’d be a very smart idea. These next couple of weeks are everything. That’ll let me know whether I’m able to play Week 1 or not.”
He added that if he’s not on the plane to Australia, then he’s staying back and rehabbing.
Kittle currently weighs 245 pounds. He said he’s been playing around 242 pounds ever since his second season. He said he feels “very skinny” if he’s under 240 pounds and that he can’t block people.
Kittle said playing Week 1 is still his goal, and he’ll adjust as needed. Kittle is “very confident” that he won’t begin the season on the PUP list and miss the first four games. He ended his presser saying, “sooner than later.”