Coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that Kittle (Achilles) could have his workload monitored against the Rams on Thursday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
"We got to be smart with that," Shanahan said. With Kittle having been listed as a limited participant Tuesday after returning from the active/PUP list a little over two weeks ago, Shanahan's comments suggest San Francisco is preparing to manage the tight end's Week 1 snaps. Kittle figures to be featured on third downs and in the scoring area if his playing time is limited, and Jake Tonges could see elevated snaps as the Niners' TE2.