San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is nursing an adductor strain and wide receiver/kick returner Ray-Ray McCloud is dealing with a broken left wrist, coach Kyle Shanahan announced Thursday.
While Kittle is expected to miss one week of action, McCloud will be sidelined as many as eight weeks. Veteran wideout Willie Snead IV, rookie wideout Ronnie Bell and rookie cornerback D’Shawn Jamison are potential candidates to handle return duties in place of McCloud, who was injured Tuesday and is scheduled to have surgery Friday.
“They always say around eight weeks,” Shanahan told reporters after Thursday’s practice with the Las Vegas Raiders. “It could be a little less. Hopefully, it is. We’ll see.”
Kittle, 29, had 60 catches for 765 yards with a career-best 11 touchdowns in 15 games (all starts) last season.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Kittle has totaled 395 receptions for 5,254 yards with 31 touchdowns in 82 career games (74 starts) with the 49ers.
McCloud, 26, had 14 catches for 243 yards and his first career receiving touchdown in 17 games (two starts) for the Niners in 2022. He averaged 23.0 yards per kick return and 10.8 per punt return last season.
–Field Level Media
