The 2026 NFL regular season is just a week away and the San Francisco 49ers are getting an early start. With the team’s first game of the season taking place in Australia, the 49ers are giving their players a week to fully adjust to the time change.
Because of that, the team needed to leave for Week 1 much earlier than usual. As a result of that strategy, the team also needed to make an early call on the status of tight end George Kittle and pass rusher Nick Bosa.
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While there’s no guarantee either will be active on game day, both will reportedly make the trip to Australia, giving them a shot to play in Week 1, according to NFL Network.
If he plays, it would mark an unbelievable recovery for Kittle, who tore his Achilles in January. Around the time of the injury, Kittle expressed optimism that he would be back early during the 2026 season, saying his tear occurred higher in the leg, where blood flow was prevalent.
Kittle opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list initially, but was activated Aug. 23. He’s reportedly been able to get in two positive days of practice, per Rapoport, a sign he’s farther along than anticipated.
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Getting the 32-year-old Kittle back early would be a massive boost for the 49ers, which lost Ricky Pearsall to an injury during camp and has already had to manage multiple injury issues with veteran wideout Mike Evans.
When healthy, Kittle has performed like a future Hall of Famer. In 11 games last season, he hauled in 57 catches for 628 yards and seven touchdowns.
Bosa, similarly, would be returning after a devastating injury. The 28-year-old pass rusher tore his ACL last September, and was also limited at the start of training camp.
Despite Bosa’s injury occurring months before Kittle’s, Bosa may be further behind in his recovery. Rapoport said Bosa was still “ramping up with his knee.”
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Like Kittle, Bosa has been a fearsome weapon when on the field. In his four seasons prior to the injury, Bosa ranked up 53.5 sacks.
The 49ers will need all the help they can get against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. After adding Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald in the offseason, the Rams enter the 2026 NFL season as one of the favorites to win it all.
The 49ers — who finished with an identical 12-5 record last season — can absolutely play spoiler in Week 1. Getting back both Bosa and Kittle would give the team an even better chance of pulling off the upset when the two teams take the field next Thursday.
