George Kittle’s return to 49ers not only uplifting but ‘needed’ after Fred Warner exit

SANTA CLARA One player surely can t flip the ers morale after Fred Warner s season-ending ankle injury But George Kittle is one who perpetually uplifts the ers and he practiced Wednesday for the first time since what coach Kyle Shanahan called a big hamstring pull in the season-opening win at Seattle With Fred going down I m sure he s going to step up in a big way as a leader and that s what we needed him to do mentioned Jake Tonges who s impressed as Kittle s replacement It can t be understated how great it is to have George Quarterback Brock Purdy also is returning to practice in a limited fashion for the first time in two weeks since aggravating his Week toe injury in a Sept loss to Jacksonville Those are encouraging strides on a band that was understandably crestfallen Sunday when Warner dislocated and fractured his right ankle which was surgically repaired Tuesday at Stanford Hospital Now it s time the ers more than any other injury this painful season to switch from a grieving unit to a galvanized force Their Wednesday morning gang meeting did not ignore Warner s impact however His exit is different seeing how he ran the show on defense as an All-Pro linebacker and rallied the ers huddles before every practice and tournament We don t have a big kumbaya or anything to have everyone share an inspirational deal We address it and talk about what we have to do to handle it Shanahan revealed A great way to switch up the somber mood is to insert Kittle with no guarantee he ll be cleared to go Sunday night when the ers - host the Atlanta Falcons - Obviously we know who George is The Joker the teammate he is his personality in the huddle We all have our favorite handshakes He brings a lot of fun into the huddle right tackle Colton McKivitz announced Kittle s five-game absence since then is the longest of his career outside of a six-game hiatus foot fracture amid the ers injury-riddled COVID-disrupted season In his absence Tonges unexpectedly emerged as a legitimate pass catcher and his receptions yards are second only to Christian McCaffrey s while each has three touchdown catches to lead the club But Tonges Luke Farrell nor others have made up for Kittle s impact as a run blocker The ers are averaging a league-worst yards per carry they have failed to run for more than yards in six straight games for the first time in franchise history and McCaffrey just scored their first rushing touchdown of the season last Sunday When you have a guy like that who can run block like he does who can do things in the pass meeting and make guys miss to get explosives it just adds another element of confidence for us that there s a person out there who can change the competition McKivitz added of Kittle QUARTERBACK OUTLOOK Both Purdy and fellow quarterback Mac Jones oblique knee were to be limited in practice Purdy played through that toe injury in the season opener then after deferring to Mac Jones the next two starts Purdy aggravated that toe amid a three-turnover outing in a Sept loss to Jacksonville Jones has passed for over yards in each of the two games since then though he got sacked six times and had two passes intercepted in Sunday s - loss at Tampa Bay PEARSALL OTHER RECEIVERS Wide receivers Ricky Pearsall knee and Skyy Moore ankle were ruled out of practice Pearsall has missed the past two games Moore fielded punts at the - and -yard lines Sunday which Shanahan stated That s a no A big no Jauan Jennings and Jordan Watkins calf were to be limited Jennings is battling an ankle injury from Week as well as five fractured ribs from Week He revealed the latter specifics after Sunday s in-game drama one catch on three targets and one sideline shouting match with Shanahan before halftime WARNER SURGERY Shanahan announced Warner s ankle surgery Tuesday went great at Stanford Hospital two days after he dislocated and fractured that right ankle while getting caught up in Ji Ayir Brown s tackle of a Raachad White run on the defense s eight snap of the contest Although Shanahan noted Monday that Warner likely would miss at least three months he clarified Wednesday saying they haven t entertained the thought of a postseason comeback A year ago Warner injured that same ankle in a Week win over New England and he played every encounter the rest of the season through an unspecified ankle fracture from that event Related Articles The ers run championship was once the envy of the NFL It s been grounded Ex- ers kicker Jake Moody s last-second field goal lifts Bears over Commanders - ers zero in on the future after latest gut punch with loss of Fred Warner ers Fred Warner already looking to legendary return from season-ending ankle injury Inman things that caught my eye in ers loss besides missing-man formation on Warner play