49ers Cut a Player in Australia — Is George Kittle Back?

49ers make a roster move in Melbourne

San Francisco cleared a spot to sign long snapper Jon Weeks ahead of their opener in Melbourne — a shuffle that came after at least one player made the 16-hour trip only to get cut. The bigger signal in the move: it could mean tight end George Kittle is ready to return from an Achilles tear.

The survivor-pick angle

A healthy Kittle changes the math on the 49ers as a survivor option. He's a central piece of their offense, and getting him back would give San Francisco a meaningfully higher floor than a version of the team playing without him. That said, this is still reading tea leaves — a long snapper signing isn't a confirmed activation, and roster gymnastics can have several explanations. If you're leaning on the 49ers as a survivor pick, wait for the actual inactives to confirm Kittle's status before you lock it in. When a team's ceiling hinges on a star's return, the safe move is to treat the roster as it's officially listed, not as it might be. New to this? Our survivor pool FAQ walks through how to weigh matchups like this, or you can start a free survivor pool and put the read into practice.