SANTA CLARA — 49ers tight end George Kittle took steps to add more muscle mass earlier this year in the hopes that it’ll prevent some of the injuries that bothered him throughout his rookie season in 2017.
Kittle’s also taken steps to help his wallet maintain its mass, as he’s been practicing catching the ball away from his body during informal throwing sessions with quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and CJ Beathard.
As the 49ers went through OTAs late last month and started mini-camp on Tuesday, tight ends coach Jon Embree has continued to stress to Kittle the need for him to play with his hands away from his body to help him catch balls in tight quarters.