Eight San Francisco 49ers players were held out of Wednesday’s first practice of Week 4 against the Denver Broncos, a number that would look alarming anywhere else but has become part of the routine in San Francisco.
Christian McCaffrey was among the players sitting out, though that’s tied to his usual in-season rest schedule and not viewed as a concern.
The bigger question marks are the names the 49ers can’t simply shrug off. Evans missed practice after suffering a rib injury against the Arizona Cardinals, and the injury is believed to be a fracture, though Kyle Shanahan has been careful not to say much about it.
Evans is expected to miss Thursday as well, which makes Friday’s practice the key checkpoint. That mirrors what happened last week, when he was dealing with a hip injury.
The timing matters, too. The 49ers would be better off keeping Evans out against Denver rather than pushing him and risking a worse problem with the Seattle Seahawks next.
Williams also landed on the report after taking a stinger against the Cardinals. His absence on Wednesday fits his normal weekly pattern, since he often begins the week as a non-participant. Even if he’s out again Thursday, there’s still confidence he’ll be in line to start this week.
Dre Greenlaw is another player the 49ers usually rest during the week, but this time he was sidelined by a quad contusion suffered Sunday. That’s the one to watch closely.
Greenlaw dealt with quad issues last season, and that history makes this injury feel more concerning than a standard maintenance day. He’ll want to play against his former team, but the injury adds real uncertainty.
White’s situation is a fresh one. He’s out with a hamstring injury, and that immediately raises the alert level. Hamstrings can go in a hurry, and with the 49ers already dealing with defensive line issues, they can’t afford another loss there.
Bosa’s absence was already expected. He’s set to miss at least a few weeks, and because the 49ers are not planning to place him on Injured Reserve, he’ll keep showing up on the practice report.
Rookie James Thompson Jr. is also sidelined with an ankle sprain. Like Bosa, he won’t be placed on Injured Reserve because the roster is already tight, and he should not be expected against Denver.
The last new name is KhaDarel Hodge, who is dealing with a knee injury. That one could linger, and the 49ers’ decision to reunite with Dante Pettis may be connected to Hodge’s status.
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