The San Francisco 49ers expect tight end George Kittle and defensive end Nick Bosa to practice this week as the team prepares to travel to Australia for its Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Kittle returned to practice last week after being activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, but he was held out of team drills. Meanwhile, Bosa was medically cleared at the start of training camp as he continued his recovery from the ACL injury he suffered last season.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch spoke with reporters on Monday, with Shanahan outlining the plan for the two star players as the 49ers prepare for their season-opening trip.
Kittle, Bosa expected to practice before Australia trip
The 49ers plan to have both Kittle and Bosa participate in this week's three practices before the team boards its flight to Australia. However, Shanahan clarified that neither player is expected to practice on all three days.
"With three days before we go, we're balancing it out with both of them," Shanahan said. "We don't want them to go three days in a row, so we're going to do a little on some of these days and more on one. Both of them are on a little different schedule with the three."
The unusual practice schedule surrounding the 49ers' extended international travel adds another wrinkle to the situation.
"It's a little different now," Shanahan said. "We usually have these three practices, then we get three days off, and then we kind of settle everything that bonus Monday of the week. We already had our three days off because of our travel deal, and now we kind of have these three bonus practices. Then, we'll get on our plane and go. And our Monday, when we kind of settle everything, will be our Saturday in Australia."
If Kittle does not appear ready to play in Week 1, Shanahan would prefer to make that determination before the team embarks on its lengthy trip.
"I think if we didn't think he was going to play, and it was looking that way, I think it'd be much nicer to make that decision before we left, instead of having him go through all that," Shanahan said. "It's also a long time that we're out there, so to be away from the team for a week, not for camaraderie or anything, but just the training staff and things like that, and being away from meetings, is also a big deal, too.
"But hopefully, these three days that we have, these three practices, will go the right way, and it'll make it an easy decision to get him on the plane."
49ers remain confident Nick Bosa will be ready
Shanahan also provided an update on Bosa, whose injury was initially described as "soreness" before later being identified as tendinitis in his surgically repaired knee.
The 49ers remain confident that Bosa will be ready for Week 1, and Shanahan indicated that the team's cautious approach has largely been about managing his workload rather than addressing a significant setback.
"I think it was that (the tendinitis) at first, but now it's more of just being smart," Shanahan said. "You guys see him on the field working out. He's feeling great. We're deciding how much we want to do in team settings, going against people and stuff, before we get out there. And that's what we've kind of put out for these three days.
"Again, they're not going to go all of them, but we're going to get them in, in these three days. And hopefully, that continues what we've seen when they haven't been out there, and then we'll be on to Australia with them."
Lynch added that Bosa looked strong at the start of training camp before experiencing soreness as his activity increased.
"When he upped the activity, he got sore," Lynch said. "And so he backed off, and we've put together a really good plan that we believe will have him ready for Australia. I always believe that the athlete knows their body better than anyone, and Nick certainly takes that to the nth degree. He knows his body extremely well and knows what it takes to have him ready.
"We saw him one year in a contract year come in here like on a Thursday and play pretty well on Sunday. So, we've got a lot of faith in his ability to do that."
Shanahan clarifies George Kittle comments
Shanahan also addressed last week's comments, which were heavily scrutinized and led some to speculate that Kittle had suffered a setback in his recovery. Kittle's recovery, however, has repeatedly been described as ahead of schedule.
"I didn't read the transcript or watch what I said, but I definitely had family members ask me about that because of some headlines," Shanahan shared. "So I don't know exactly what I said there, but it was probably just me not speaking right.
"George has been great. He's passing everything. We're just getting him out [for the] first time with the team (team drills) in these three days. And anytime 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 just has to do with him coming and practicing for these three days.
"So there was nothing that I meant to say that people looked into. If I did say that, it was an accident."
Other 49ers injury updates
Shanahan noted that safety Malik Mustapha, who has been dealing with a hamstring strain, is expected to return to practice this week.
The 49ers also expect defensive lineman Mykel Williams to return after serving the required four-game absence following his placement on injured reserve. The team made that decision to give the young defender additional time to recover from last season's ACL injury.
"It's going to sting not having him for the first four weeks, but we'll have him the rest of the year in really good fashion, we believe, if we allow him the necessary time," Lynch said.
Shanahan also discussed how the 49ers plan to manage several veterans throughout the season.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw is unlikely to participate in every practice this week, and Shanahan suggested that veteran maintenance days could remain part of his regular schedule throughout the season.
The same approach could apply to wide receiver Mike Evans.
"We've still got to get to know Mike as it goes," Shanahan said. "But Mike is another guy who will never practice three days in a row. [LT] Trent's [Williams] been like that, [RB] Christian's [McCaffrey] like that. We just talked about Greenlaw. Mike's still coming back from his injury ... He's ahead of schedule, doing good, but we know with Mike, and where he is at in his career, we'll definitely have to treat him differently."
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