49ers' George Kittle: Focused on avoiding injuries

Kittle focused on strengthening his smaller muscles in the offseason, hoping to avoid the nagging injuries that plagued his rookie campaign, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 2017 fifth-round pick only missed one game, but he dealt with four separate issues throughout the season, while fellow tight end Garrett Celek didn't make an appearance on the injury report until mid-December. The San Francisco front office displayed confidence in the duo this offseason, declining to add any veterans or draft picks at the position. Kittle enters training camp as a clear favorite for the starting job, but he could end up in a timeshare with Celek again if he doesn't show improvement with his hands (five drops) and route running. The second-year pro has already proven to be dangerous with the ball in his hands, earning 281 of his 515 yards (54.6 percent) after the catch as a rookie. Given his physical gifts along with his likely role in what should be a good passing offense, Kittle is rightfully one of the more popular breakout candidates at tight end.