San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, who tore his Achilles in January, is expected to return to action soon. General manager John Lynch stated that Kittle could be ready for the first game. Kittle, 32, suffered the injury during the NFC Wild Card round. He had surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Kittle indicated he could return well before November. His injury was a clean tear, which may speed up his recovery. The team has also added Mike Evans and De'Zhaun Stribling to the receiving corps, which could reduce the pressure on Kittle to rush his recovery. Kittle was also limited by injuries last season, but showed he is still quarterback Brock Purdy's reliable target.