{"id":6900,"date":"2026-08-15T23:36:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T23:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6900"},"modified":"2026-08-15T23:36:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T23:36:31","slug":"49ers-george-kittle-gives-big-update-jake-tonges-embraces-2025-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6900","title":{"rendered":"49ers&#8217; George Kittle gives big update, Jake Tonges embraces 2025 fame"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>SANTA CLARA \u2013 Jake Tonges made a catch in Saturday\u2019s practice, and George Kittle celebrated.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6898\">Joshua B\u00e1ez of the Cardinals hits 3 homers in his first 3 at-bats in a historic major league debut<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Then Luke Ferrell snagged a Brock Purdy touchdown pass, and Kittle raised his arms in triumph.<\/p>\n<p>Even seldom-targeted Hayden Rucci got into the mix, to the delight of all tight ends.<\/p>\n<p>While Kittle recovers from Achilles repair, he is living vicariously through his fellow tight ends\u2019 exploits, and he says that could change sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve attacked this the right way, and we\u2019re very much ahead of schedule, and hopefully I\u2019m on the field here in a little bit,\u201d Kittle said in a SiriusXM NFL Radio interview that will air Sunday about 12:15 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Kittle remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list but is showing impressive agility and speed in side-field drills, keeping alive the possibility of a season-opening comeback in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve checked the boxes,\u201d Kittle added. \u201cMy surgeon told me, \u2018Push it, just don\u2019t be an idiot.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>An hour before Kittle, Purdy and Fred Warner spoke on SiriusXM\u2019s panel before 20 select fans in a Levi\u2019s Stadium lounge, Tonges was at the media podium for the first time since his season-opening heroism Sept. 7 in Seattle, where a game-winning touchdown marked his first career score.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Tonges proudly keeps that keepsake in a glass case, seeing how that play gave him confidence as well as coaches and Brock Purdy. In nabbing Purdy\u2019s 4-yard, desperation heave before cornerback Riq Woolen could with 1 1\/2 minutes to go, Tonges put himself on the NFL map as a fourth-year veteran.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s reminded of that whenever he meets fans. \u201cIt\u2019s either the touchdown in Seattle or some fantasy waiver wire stuff or some first-touchdown betting line,\u201d Tonges said of his fame. \u201cI don\u2019t get tired of it. It\u2019s great that people either recognize me or appreciate the play. It really was a turning point in my career. I appreciate when people bring it up and say congratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Los Gatos High and Cal product, Tonges went undrafted and joined the Chicago Bears four years ago, when he found himself battling for a roster spot with nearly a dozen other tight ends. The 49ers added him to their practice squad early in the 2023 season, he played all but one game in 2024, then helped fill in for Kittle last season as a sure-handed target while tallying his first stats: 34 catches, 293 yards, and five touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p>He got rewarded with a new contract in March (two years, $8 million), and that newfound job security meant he could sign a one-year lease for a house and, for the first time in his career, not have to play in a preseason game last Thursday night against the Tennesee Titans.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>With Tonges and Farrell still the 49ers\u2019 top options until Kittle is at full strength, camp has afforded a lot of reps for Rucci, Brayden Willis and Josiah Deguara; undrafted rookie Khalil Dinkins worked out Saturday after being waived July 25.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6896\">Webb\u2019s strong outing, Gilbert\u2019s big day lead SF Giants to win over Rockies<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Deploy three tight ends has become a trendy look across the NFL, and while 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk qualifies as one in some of the 49ers\u2019 sets, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris believes that look isn\u2019t fading.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a copycat league. Like anything else, any success, people will try to do it too until it\u2019s stopped,\u201d Morris said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DOWN TO THREE QBs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Quarterback Kurtis Rourke watched practice but did not suit up, two days after sustaining a first-half rib injury and getting further evaluated at a hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Stat lines in 11-on-11 action for the other quarterbacks: Purdy 8-of-14, Mac Jones 11-of-16, and Adrian Martinez 6-of-7.<\/p>\n<p>Purdy\u2019s first completion went to a sliding Mike Evans over the middle. Purdy has not thrown many interceptions this camp, and he barely avoided one Saturday when Renardo Green cut off a pass intended for Evans.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HEALTH CENTER<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Among those still not practicing were running back Christian McCaffrey (unspecified tightness), safety Malik Mustapha (hamstring) and defensive ends Nick Bosa (knee tendinitis) and Keion White (adductor). Juszczyk (finger), wide receiver Christian Kirk (calf) and running backs Jordan James (rib) and Kaelon Black (adductor) ran on the side.<\/p>\n<p>Wide receiver Jacob Cowing returned from a hip issue and caught a deep pass from Mac Jones down the right sideline late in practice.<\/p>\n<p>Also out were wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge (undisclosed), guard Brett Toth (concussion) and cornerback Nate Hobbs (adductor).<\/p>\n<p>Three players injured Thursday night practiced: cornerback Jack Jones (hand), linebacker Nick Martin (stinger) and safety Marques Sigle (oblique).<\/p>\n<p><strong>GUARD COMPETITION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rookie Carver Willis took his initial reps with the first-string at left guard. Connor Colby opened practice there after most first-team reps the previous week went to Rob Jones, who also got the start in Thursday\u2019s 19-13 preseason-opening loss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a three-man race. May the best man win,\u201d left tackle Trent Williams said. \u201cThey\u2019re all playing their butts off. Carver is the youngest and has more to learn but he has a high ceiling and tons of potential. I can\u2019t wait to see how he develops.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6894\">Site of popular Oakland diner lands buyers led by busy real estate exec<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While tight end George Kittle is &#8220;very much ahead of schedule,&#8221; he celebrated fellow tight ends&#8217; multiple catches in Saturday&#8217;s practice at 49ers training camp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>49ers&#8217; George Kittle gives big update, Jake Tonges embraces 2025 fame - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6900\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"49ers&#8217; George Kittle gives big update, Jake Tonges embraces 2025 fame - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While tight end George Kittle is &quot;very much ahead of schedule,&quot; he celebrated fellow tight ends&#039; multiple catches in Saturday&#039;s practice at 49ers training camp.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6900\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-15T23:36:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6900#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6900\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"49ers&#8217; 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