49ers officially activate George Kittle, put Fred Warner on injured reserve

SANTA CLARA Two of the majority respected and influential veterans on the ers roster were officially headed in opposite directions Saturday Tight end George Kittle out since Week with a hamstring tear returned to the -man roster after missing five games while on injured reserve Linebacker Fred Warner was placed on injured reserve where he ll stay the rest of the season barring an extremely unlikely comeback should the ers go deep into the postseason Also activated from I R is Kevin Givens who has been out since August with a torn pectoral and can in theory add particular depth to a defensive line rotation that requirements chosen help In other moves the ers promoted edge rusher Trevis Gipson from the practice squad while guard Nick Zakelj and wide receiver Malik Turner were standard practice squad elevations Tight end Brayden Willis was waived and if he goes unclaimed could return to the ers practice squad Coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned Friday Kittle was expected to play with no restrictions with regard to snap count Warner meanwhile is home recovering from Tuesday surgery The ers are still getting over the shock of losing their defensive leader along with edge rusher Nick Bosa who was lost Sept with a torn ACL and was back at the facility on crutches during open locker room Thursday Related Articles Kurtenbach My predictions for ers-Falcons Can Mac Jones survive the Falcons onslaught ers keys to beating Falcons in prime-time spotlight minus Fred Warner ers injury outlook Brock Purdy is out so is Ricky Pearsall but George Kittle returns Kurtenbach Kyle Shanahan once compared him to a -year-old Now Kendrick Bourne is carrying the Niners Ready or not it s up to ers Tatum Bethune to step in for Fred Warner Fred he s a Hall of Famer first ballot period defensive coordinator Robert Saleh explained Thursday He still has so a multitude of more years left in the tank For this season to end the way it did just shameful But at the same time I know if we all know Fred he s seemingly gunning to see if he can make it back for a playoff run