Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

When the San Francisco 49ers battle against the division rival Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, they'll already be without several key starters. The list, to name a few, includes quarterback Brock Purdy, receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, as well as star pass-rusher Nick Bosa (for the season).

Unfortunately for San Francisco, it will also be without perennial Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle, who pulled a hamstring earlier this year. The good news is that Kittle's injury isn't a season-ender like Bosa's. The bad news is, well, Kittle is still missing a notable amount of time on what is usually a delicate health problem to manage for dynamic athletes like NFL players. He was put on injured reserve (IR) for a good reason.

And even when Kittle does come back, it'll likely take some time to get fully back into a rhythm where he's comfortable pushing himself on a challenging soft-tissue injury.

When will George Kittle come back from his hamstring injury?

Current indications point to a possible Week 6 return for Kittle when the 49ers play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road. That was the earliest he could return from IR. That will also have given him approximately five weeks to let his hamstring heal. Provided Kittle doesn't suffer any setbacks before then, we can expect to see one of the best tight ends of his generation play again very soon.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: George Kittle injury return: When will 49ers TE come back?

Reporting by Robert Zeglinski, For The Win / For The Win

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