Kyle Shanahan ‘holds hope’ Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle can return

The 49ers have been without a tight start George Kittle and starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the past month, but there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

“I have kept my hopes up for Jimmy the last few weeks,” San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said via Cam Inman of The Mercury News. “Same for Kittle. I think they’re in a similar boat, but I mean it’s not guaranteed.

Garoppolo was sidelined with a sprained ankle and Kittle with a broken foot. The 49ers lost their first two games after putting both players in reserve before beating the Rams 23-20 after their week off on Sunday.

“They are just starting to get to where they are on the pitch and not with us, but alone to do things,” Shanahan said.

Quarterback Nick Mullens threw for 790 yards with two touchdowns, four interceptions and a fumble lost in his second stint from Garoppolo this season. Overall, Mullens has 1,642 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Shanahan told reporters he was “very happy” with the appellant’s performance against Los Angeles.

Ross Dwelly and Jordan Reed replaced Kittle, the latter picking up more targets. Reed has 19 receptions for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2020.

Despite only playing six games this year, Kittle still leads the 49ers with 37 receptions and 474 receiving yards. He also has two touchdowns. In six games, Garoppolo completed 67.1% of his passes for 1096 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.