The San Francisco 49ers got a major boost with wide receiver Mike Evans moving back onto the field, a sign he could be ready for the regular season opener after missing most of training camp with a string of injuries.
NBC Sports’ Kyle Dvorchak laid out the update on Evans’ health, noting that he was dealing with quad, groin, and abductor injuries. The 49ers handled his offseason work carefully, and that approach appears to have worked.
"Evans missed the bulk of training camp with quad, groin, and abductor injuries. The team took a cautious approach to his practice regimen during the offseason, and it seems to have paid off with him back on the field today. Evans' status on the 49ers' practice report next week will be one of the bigger storylines for the 49ers, but all signs point to him being healthy for Week 1."
That matters for a San Francisco team that has already dealt with a heavy injury load. The roster losses have taken some shine off what had been a strong free-agent haul, but getting Evans back changes the picture for the offense.
"Mike Evans figures to the top option out wide for quarterback Brock Purdy this season, assuming he stays healthy.
Wide receiver was an obvious position of need for the Niners entering this season, especially when George Kittle went down with a brutal injury in the NFL playoffs last season. ... With Kittle's status in limbo (although reports are very encouraging about his Week 1 status), Mike Evans becomes that much more important to this San Francisco offense."
There’s still some uncertainty around what Evans will look like after injuries shortened his 2025 season. Before that, he had been one of the NFL’s best pass catchers and a dangerous red-zone threat, and that part of his game still gives San Francisco real upside.
The 49ers are not banking on a miracle, but they are hoping Evans can get back to that level. He enters an offense run by Kyle Shanahan, a coach whose system has helped receivers cash in over the years, and the fit gives Evans a chance to be schemed into favorable spots.
San Francisco’s injury issues aren’t gone, but Evans’ return gives the team something real to build around as the season approaches. If he stays healthy, he has a chance to become a difference-maker for Brock Purdy and this offense when it matters most.
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Pass-rush help is the area most often mentioned around the Niners, and that alone tells you where the pressure is building. Jared Verse has been one of the names floated as a possible target, and his contract status for the next two years only adds to the intrigue for a team that wants more disruption up front without sacrificing long-term control. The question for San Francisco is no longer whether it can afford to chase a difference-maker, but whether this is the moment to spend the capital to do it. [Read more 🡒]