On Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers announced that star tight end George Kittle has been designated to return from injured reserve. What that means, practically speaking, is Kittle can start practicing again after missing five straight games, and the team has three weeks to decide whether to activate him for regular season action.
Should Kittle show enough progress in his recovery from a broken foot, general manager John Lynch has indicated he'd like to see San Francisco's top offensive threat on the field. "If they're cleared, they get paid to play football and they want to play," Lynch said a few days ago of Kittle and injured quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.