The San Francisco 49ers held a Christmas Eve practice Wednesday without their jolliest player.

Tight end George Kittle, who suffered an ankle injury Monday, was not on the practice field or in the locker room during the media session. Kittle seems to have avoided the dreaded high-ankle sprain, but his status is murky for Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

“He’s got a chance, so we’re not ruling him out,” coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) also didn’t practice but will likely be on hand later in the week. Receiver Ricky Pearsall (ankle, knee) and cornerback Renardo Green (neck) were limited, while linebacker Tatum Bethune (ankle) was full go.

If Kittle doesn’t play Sunday? The 49ers are familiar with that scenario, considering he already missed five games this season, with the 49ers going 2-3 in those contests.

That drill — turning to a backup like Jake Tonges — is old hat for this year’s team, which touches on one of the questions in this week’s mailbag: What is the personality of the 2025 49ers?

Thanks for all the great questions, which, as usual, have been lightly trimmed and edited for length and continuity.

49ers’ Xmas Eve practice is under way. Not pictured: George Kittle pic.twitter.com/RmyQjFfTnc

— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 24, 2025

 

What is the culture/vibe of this year’s team compared to recent Super Bowl/NFC Championship teams? — Brendan A.

I still have trouble wrapping my head around how flat the most recent championship team, the 2023 squad, began the playoffs. Compared to this year’s team, that was an all-star cast, one that had blown the doors off the defending NFC champion Eagles — in Philadelphia — a month earlier.

But those 49ers never seemed able to recapture their Philadelphia ferocity after their first-round bye. They were wobbly in the divisional round, had to have a furious comeback in the championship game and seemed unprepared for some of the plays the Kansas City Chiefs ran in the Super Bowl.

It’s hard to see the same thing happening to this year’s team, even if they get the No. 1 seed and the bye. With a few exceptions, it’s been a team that gets off to fast starts, doesn’t commit penalties and wins close games. It’s a group that’s hard to rattle.

Maybe it’s because these 49ers know they have little margin for error. They’d obviously prefer to have had way fewer injuries. But in a way, missing so many star players has contributed to their gritty personality. And the fact that some players — Kittle, Brock Purdy, Jauan Jennings, Pearsall, etc. — have steadily returned has created momentum heading toward the playoffs.

This 49ers team might be most similar to the 2021 squad, the one that had so many injuries at running back it had to lean on receiver Deebo Samuel at that spot in the second half of the season. That team also had obvious flaws, but it gained momentum late and nearly beat the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams in Los Angeles in the championship game.

Who are the most likely upcoming free agents to re-sign? Can you also rank them in order? — Rohan G.

These are the upcoming unrestricted free agents:

1. DT Kalia Davis. He’s still ascending and would mesh with the team’s youth movement at the position.

2. PR/WR Skyy Moore. He’s been excellent as a returner. If back, the 49ers would use the offseason to develop him at wide receiver. (More below)

3. LB Curtis Robinson. The 49ers get a lot of bang for their Curtis Robinson buck. You can book this one.

4. K Eddy Piñeiro. This, of course, hinges heavily on what One-Miss Eddy will command as a free agent. The 49ers *did* have a good experience with Matt Gay during Piñeiro’s brief absence.

5. P Thomas Morstead. Though he’ll be 40 when free agency begins, Morstead shows no sign of slowing down. It helps when you have to punt only every three weeks or so.

6. LS Jon Weeks. Keeping the snapping/holding duo of Weeks and Morstead intact ought to be a priority. Weeks also will be 40 by early March.

7. OL Spencer Burford. This might depend on their draft plan at offensive tackle. If tackle is overlooked (again), Burford’s versatility as a backup tackle and starting-caliber guard might lead to a new deal.

8. WR Jauan Jennings. (See next question)

9. WR Kendrick Bourne. If Jennings leaves, Bourne becomes a higher priority. Then again, if another team trades for Mac Jones, a savvy follow-up move would be to sign his buddy Bourne.

10. C Matt Hennessy. He played well when stepping in for Jake Brendel, who turns 34 next season.

11. LB Luke Gifford. The team has to try to keep the core of its special teams together, right?

12. RB Patrick Taylor. He’s been hurt all season. But it’s easy to see the team bringing him back on a modest deal and adding him to the offseason mix at running back.

13. WR Trent Taylor. Ditto what we said about Patrick Taylor, but at receiver.

14. DE Clelin Ferrell. A high-floor player who could help out while Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams are recovering from 2025 injuries.

15. DT Jordan Elliott. He’s been a good veteran anchor in the defensive line room, but the 49ers will probably go with youth at this spot.

16. G Ben Bartch. The 49ers love his athleticism, and he’s a great personality fit in the O-line room. But he can’t stay healthy.

17. S Jason Pinnock. He’s been solid since the spring, but the 49ers have plenty of youth at the position.

18. RB Brian Robinson Jr. The 49ers have little-used youngsters at the position, and Robinson is probably pining for a bigger role elsewhere.

19. DT Kevin Givens. A training camp injury set him back, and he hasn’t been able to seize a role since returning.

20. DL Yetur Gross-Matos. He’s like Bartch — always injured — but at eight times the cost.

Given the 49ers’ recent WR developments off the field and Jauan Jennings’ increased productivity on it, where do you place the odds that he and the Niners come back to the table for an extension? — Mike D.

I think it’s absolutely possible. Should Brandon Aiyuk move on as expected, the 49ers would not only have a glaring need for a veteran wide receiver, but they’d have more money to play around with than when Jennings was angling for an extension in the summer.

My guess is Jennings tests his worth on the open market in March. Maybe a team with a big salary-cap cushion and a need at wideout — the Titans? Chargers? — steps up. But if he doesn’t get the big deal he’s looking for, the 49ers would happily ink him to a more modest one.

That would give the team a 2026 wide receiving corps of Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing.

Shanahan said Wednesday he’d also like to have Moore, who arrived in late August, back in 2026.

“Skyy just got here late,” Shanahan said. “He’s been good at receiver (as well as returner). I love his skill set, and I love the person. It’s always hard when you don’t get to go through all the run blocking, all the routes, all the formations.”

Shanahan also said the passing offense is especially hard for someone who was coming from the Chiefs.

“I think they’re a bigger difference than most,” he said of his and Andy Reid’s offense.

Are the 49ers more likely to use their upcoming first-round pick on a DL or a WR? — Marcus W.

Yes.

(It seems like there might be more draft-worthy DL at the end of Round 1, but rest assured, this will be much discussed between now and late April.)

Where did Eli Apple come from? Chase Lucas was inactive. Is Lucas injured or demoted? He played well earlier in the season when he got playing time.

Apple has been on the practice squad all season and was activated for the Week 4 game against Jacksonville as well. I mean, he played three special teams snaps that day — please keep up!

I think Apple’s elevation Monday had everything to do with Green’s injury. The 49ers needed to be protected at outside cornerback if Deommodore Lenoir or Darrell Luter Jr. was injured. Lucas is more of a nickel cornerback. The 49ers can always use Lenoir at nickel if there’s an injury at that spot.

If the 49ers lose to Chicago, do you think they’ll rest players in Week 18? — Mark N.

I think their inclination, especially coming off a loss, would be to build momentum heading into the playoffs.

Are there any options out there for adding a player to improve the pass rush this late in the season? — Dan D.

In late October, the 49ers worked out four defensive ends. Two of them, Clelin Ferrell and Andrew Farmer (practice squad), are currently on the team. The other two were Kingsley Johnathan, who is now on the New York Jets’ practice squad, and former Stanford player Casey Toohill, who remains available.

Any updates to your Fred Warner return probabilities? — Steve H.

If you’re betting, if we make it to the divisional round of the playoffs, does No. 54 play? — Ben S.

Divisional round: maybe

Championship round: yes

Super Bowl: Oh, hell yes

Did Tonges get both feet inbounds? — Chad C.

The 49ers tight ends watched the play — over and over — on the flight back from Indianapolis early Tuesday morning. Their verdict: An emphatic yes.

Who do you see as linebackers for the last two games? — Paul R.

It looks like Bethune (ankle) emerged from the Colts game better than expected. He wasn’t on Wednesday’s injury report. He and Dee Winters will remain the starters with Gifford, Pinnock or Upton Stout rotating in at the other spot, depending on which defensive package the 49ers are in (base, big nickel or nickel, respectively).

Since the MNF game was all about Rivers coming back, let’s do a Niners version: Which “retired” player could you see coming out to provide depth in case of injury during the playoffs? You can’t use the Jon Feliciano easy card. Sorry, those are the rules of the game. — Derek G.

Apologies to all the Isaac Guerendo/Jordan James fans out there, but if the 49ers had a sudden rash of injuries at tailback, I’m certain Frank Gore could grind out a couple of 100-yard games in January. He looks exactly like he did in, say, 2012. He’s maintained his playing weight and, best of all, he’s already in the building.

Remember the slogan: death, taxes, Gore.

Frank Gore from 2005 and Frank Gore from 2020. (Hint: The ‘05 Gore is on the left). #ageless pic.twitter.com/Ub3OnXzeSi

— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) September 16, 2020

 

Favorite gift ever received? — Greg Z.

You guys will hate this story, but you asked … In 1978, a very young, very NFL-crazy Matt Barrows asked Santa for a Los Angeles Rams uniform. I’m not sure why I picked the Rams. My family lived in Virginia at the time. I think I dug the helmet design.

Well, poor Mama Claus had a devil of a time finding Rams gear in Manassas, Va. — it was all Washington R-words stuff — and eventually had to use a mail-order catalogue to procure one at the last minute and to iron the numbers (88) onto the front. Seeing that gear under the tree — helmet, pads, the whole nine yards — was to me what a Red Ryder BB gun was to Ralphie Parker.

Everything’s gone by now, save for the helmet. It resides in a garage window in a farmhouse in Maine.