Kittle (knee/ankle) took part in drills during Thursday's practice while donning a blue no-contact jersey, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
The 49ers won't reveal until after the session concludes whether Kittle's activity was enough to constitute a "limited" listing on the injury report, but the fact that the tight end wasn't relegated to a side field for rehab work indicates he's taken a step forward in his recovery from the left leg injury. Ideally, Kittle would take some form of contact in Friday's session to ease some of the concerns about his health, but his chances of suiting up Sunday against the Packers have seemingly improved nonetheless. In the event the 49ers ultimately decide to withhold Kittle from a third straight game, Ross Dwelley would handle the majority of the snaps at tight end.