George Kittle 'very confident' he won't open season on PUP, still targeting Rams

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle continues to hold out hope that he'll be on the flight to Australia when the team leaves for its Week 1 opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10.

Kittle, who tore his right Achilles in a Jan. 11 playoff loss to the Eagles and had it repaired three days later by Rams team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache, told reporters Sunday he's 'very confident' in his recovery and 'very confident' he won't begin the season on the reserve/PUP list — which would cost him the first four games. 'Sooner than later,' he said.

The 49ers have until Aug. 30 to activate Kittle back to the active roster; if they don't, the PUP designation would sideline him through the first four contests. Kittle confirmed he has a timeline for returning to practice but declined to share details, and he said the decision on his availability for the Australia game will likely be made before the team departs for Melbourne. 'I'm just going to keep that as my goal, and then we'll adjust from there if we need to,' Kittle said. 'But I still believe that. My team still believes that. My surgeon still believes I have a chance.'

The Kittle question looms over a 49ers offense already monitoring running back Christian McCaffrey, who was held out of practice again Sunday.