George Kittle: 3 reasons 49ers tight end gets back to All-Pro form in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: George Kittle fully healthy is more important than it seems
Look, fans already know George Kittle has played through some notable injuries. He didn’t have to come back from his fractured foot last season, but the tight end ultimately convinced head coach Kyle Shanahan he could return despite it being a lost year for San Francisco.
Kittle managed 160 yards combined over those final two games.
In 2019, Kittle dealt with both ribs and ankle injuries yet secured his second Pro Bowl and first All-Pro nod.
Now just imagine how productive he could be with a clean bill of health.
Granted, it’s impossible to predict injuries or suggest anyone like Kittle will avoid them completely in the upcoming season. But if we go purely off the law of averages, it seems to be a safe bet Kittle will stay on the right side of the proverbial “bill of health” this upcoming season and won’t have to deal as much with the kind of setbacks he endured in 2020. Perhaps even 2019, too.
The one season in which Kittle was relatively injury-free was back in 2018 when he set that single-season record for most receiving yards by a tight end (1,377).
Now back to form, one can hope he recaptures that title in 2021.