Kittle went down in the first half of San Francisco’s season opener, but returned to practice this week and is set to return to action Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons.
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The 49ers also activated defensive lineman Kevin Givens from injured reserve. Givens suffered a pectoral injury in training camp and will make his season debut on Sunday.
The Niners hope Kittle’s return will provide a needed boost to the offense. Kittle is perhaps the best two-way tight end in the NFL as a dominant run blocker and threat in the passing game.
San Francisco has struggled to run the ball in Kittle’s absence and ranks last in the NFL in yards per carry (3.1) and third-worst in rushing yards per game (82.2).
Kittle had four catches for 25 yards and a touchdown in the first game before getting hurt. He has had four seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards and led San Francisco with 78 receptions for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
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Kittle is a two-time All-Pro and was a second-team selection three other times. He has 542 career receptions for 7,405 yards and 46 touchdowns.
San Francisco also signed defensive lineman Trevis Gipson from the practice squad to the active roster. Gipson had played 20 defensive snaps over the past two weeks.
The 49ers made room on the 53-man roster by placing four-time All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner on injured reserve with ankle surgery and waiving tight end Brayden Willis. The team had previously placed catcher Márquez Valdés-Scantling on IR this week with a calf injury.
San Francisco also elevated wide receiver Malik Turner and offensive lineman Nick Zakelj from the practice squad to make them available for Sunday’s game.
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