General manger John Lynch suggested Kittle could play fewer snaps this season, Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle reports. "A stated goal of ours this year was to have some people around (Kittle) such that we could take some off him," said Lynch. "George is a great player. And you can run into 'Let's have him out there every single play of the season.'"
Lynch made his comments in the context of the 49ers keeping four tight ends on their initial 53-man roster. Ross Dwelley, Levine Toilolo and Kaden Smith aren't serious threats to Kittle's target volume, but they might allow the team to take its superstar tight end off the field a bit more often. Kittle played 88 percent of the snaps on offense last season, including four games with a share above 95 percent in the final seven weeks. Any reduction in playing time won't be drastic, as NFL teams rightfully tend to avoid taking their best player off the field. Kittle will open his season with a Week 1 contest in Tampa Bay, facing a Buccaneers defense that allowed the fifth most receiving yards (1,061) to tight ends last season.