Shanahan clarifies Kittle comment, says no setback expected

San Francisco tight end George Kittle is back in practice and has joined team drills as the 49ers prepare for their season opener in Australia. While his availability for the Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams remains undecided, head coach Kyle Shanahan said his earlier comment that Kittle had “taken a step back” was not intended to suggest a delay in his recovery.

"I don’t know exactly what I said there, but it was probably just me not speaking right," Shanahan told reporters. "George has been great. He’s passing everything. We’re just getting him out with the team these three days and anytime when you come back out and practice with the team going against people and stuff — I hope there’s not a setback in that way. That has nothing to do with his injury or anything, that has to do with his coming back and practicing these three days. There was nothing that I meant to say that people looked into. If I did say that, it was an accident."

The team will continue three more days of practice before traveling to Melbourne, where they will finalize preparations for the opener. Shanahan added that knowing Kittle’s status before departure would be helpful, though it is not essential.

"I think if we didn’t think he was going to play and it was looking that way, it would be much nicer to make the decision before we left," he said.

Defensive end Nick Bosa is also expected to participate in this week’s sessions, with the coaching staff hoping both players will be ready to contribute against division rivals when the season begins.