The 49ers are easing Mike Evans along, but Kyle Shanahan doesn’t sound worried about what comes next.
Evans is entering his 13th season, and Shanahan made it clear the veteran receiver will have a real role as long as his body cooperates. The 49ers coach said the team is handling a current quad issue carefully, while also noting that Evans believes he could already be back on the field.
Shanahan pointed back to last season, when Evans missed time with a hamstring problem, as the kind of thing that can derail availability. Even so, he said Evans will be a starting receiver and added, “We’re being smart with him, but he’s going to be good to go.”
In Los Angeles, Sean McVay is still talking about Matthew Stafford like a quarterback with plenty left in the tank.
Stafford is headed into the 18th year of his career in 2026, and McVay said he remains confident the veteran can keep going well beyond what people expect. McVay said Stafford’s play last season was the “highest quality of football that he played last year,” but what stood out to him most was the quarterback’s mindset.
“What I felt from him was a stillness, a peace and enjoyment,” McVay said. “I do believe that he’s capable of playing a lot longer than people think, God willing, if he’s able to stay healthy.”
In Seattle, rookie safety Bud Clark is already making himself felt.
The Seahawks took Clark in the second round of this year’s draft, and veteran Julian Love said the first impression has been all about energy and confidence. Love called him “a country boy” and said he has “swagger to him.”
He also shared a camp story that showed just how much personality Clark has brought into the room, describing a moment when Clark said something in the DB meeting that had everyone nodding without fully understanding it. Love said Clark later repeated it, explaining it as “What we do, it’s off limits.”
Head coach Mike Macdonald likes what he’s seeing, too. He said Clark has been asked to take on a lot early and has handled it well, even if everything isn’t perfect yet. Macdonald praised the rookie’s approach and said, “He needs to trust that he is going to come out of the fog and take it from there.”
Love also said Clark is already “playing fast” and holding his own with the first-team defense. With camp still loading him up with information, the Seahawks are giving him plenty to process, and Love said Clark is taking it in stride. He added that the rookie is going to have a major role.
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Rams Fringe Players Just Turned Final Roster Cuts Into A Real Debate
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Tim Keenan and Dean Connors, meanwhile, are still fighting to turn limited opportunities into something more secure. That is what makes this stage of the preseason so interesting for Los Angeles: the top of the roster is mostly settled, but the final decisions can hinge on one good night, one missed chance, or one player who keeps showing up when the Rams need someone to separate himself. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Rookie Battle Just Got Tighter Before Final Roster Cuts
The Rams rookie class has spent the preseason trying to turn practice buzz into something more concrete, and the final tune-up against the Chargers should bring the evaluation into sharper focus. With roster cuts approaching, every snap has mattered a little more for first-year players trying to carve out a role, whether that means landing on the 53-man roster or simply making sure they stay in the conversation.
A few of those rookies have already made their case with recent game contributions, while others have seen their paths complicated by injuries or uneven showings. The result is a tighter race than it looked a couple of weeks ago, and the Rams now have a tricky set of decisions to sort through before the preseason ends. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Cutdown Day Pressure Is Rising On One Crowded Position Group
The Rams have one of those late-summer roster puzzles every contender runs into, only this one sits right on the defensive line, where the numbers are tighter than the team would like. Ty Hamilton, a former fifth-round pick, has put himself in strong position after a solid preseason showing, a notable step forward after a difficult rookie season and the kind of camp that can change how a staff views a young lineman.
But Hamilton is only part of the equation, not the whole answer. Tim Keenan III, Bill Norton and Larrell Murchison are all still fighting for limited openings, and the possibility of Aaron Donalds return only makes the picture more complicated for a group already crowded with bodies and short on certainty. With cutdown day approaching, the Rams front has the feel of a spot where one more strong practice can matter a lot. [Read more 🡒]