The San Francisco 49ers have opened the injured reserve practice window for star tight end George Kittle. He will now have the next three weeks to practice with the team before head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch must decide whether to reinstate him to the active roster or leave him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
Opening his practice window before Week 15 gives the team some additional breathing room if they don’t make the playoffs. Kittle’s practice window will close when the season ends, so the 21 days will only come into play with a miraculous playoff run by San Francisco.
Kittle fractured his foot in the 49ers Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but the team has remained hopeful that he could eventually make a return to the field. In 6 games this season, Kittle has hauled in 37 receptions for 474 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The 49ers also signed DL Alex Barrett, CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun, DL Daeshon Hall, OL Aaron Neary and OL Isaiah Williams to the practice squad. Undrafted rookie TE Chase Harrell was let go from the practice squad.
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