SANTA CLARA — One player surely can’t flip the 49ers’ morale after Fred Warner’s season-ending ankle injury.
But George Kittle is one who always uplifts the 49ers, 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,” said 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 1 toe injury in a Sept. 28 loss to Jacksonville.
Those are encouraging strides on a team 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 49ers, more than any other injury this painful season, to switch from a grieving unit to a galvanized force. Their Wednesday morning team 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 49ers’ huddles before every practice and game.
“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 said.
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 49ers (4-2) host the Atlanta Falcons (3-2).
“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 said.
Kittle’s five-game absence since then is the longest of his career outside of a six-game hiatus (foot fracture) amid the 2020 49ers’ injury-riddled, COVID-disrupted season.
In his absence, Tonges unexpectedly emerged as a legitimate pass catcher, and his 25 receptions (224 yards) are second only to Christian McCaffrey’s 46, while each has three touchdown catches to lead the team.
But Tonges, Luke Farrell nor others have made up for Kittle’s impact as a run blocker. The 49ers are averaging a league-worst 3.06 yards per carry, they have failed to run for more than 85 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 game 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 game,” 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. 28 loss to Jacksonville. Jones has passed for over 340 yards in each of the two games since then, though he got sacked six times and had two passes intercepted in Sunday’s 30-19 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 2- and 3-yard lines Sunday, which Shanahan said: “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 2 as well as five fractured ribs from Week 5. 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 said 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 game.
Although Shanahan said 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 4 win over New England, and he played every game the rest of the season through an unspecified ankle fracture from that incident.
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