Brock Purdy’s MVP candidacy may could benefit from what is happening to the 49ers’ wide receiving corps, as the team remains unbeaten. But the attrition may be too much overcome soon. Mike Evans represents the latest San Francisco wideout who may be out of the equation for the time being.
The 49ers finished their narrow Commanders win without their top six receivers — at least, their hopeful sextet entering training camp. Ricky Pearsall was lost for the season during camp, while Christian Kirk remains in the IR-return window after receiving an August 30 designation. Second-rounder De’Zhaun Stribling and veteran Demarcus Robinson are on IR, with each expected back later this season. Deebo Samuel missed Week 6 with a hamstring injury, though he is not on IR.
The last man standing entering Monday night, Evans had already been playing through multiple issues. One of them — an Achilles injury — led to his midgame exit. Evans had been playing through a rib injury as well, but a bout of Achilles tendinitis keyed his departure from the Washington matchup. Kyle Shanahan said (via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner) he does not expect Evans to require further testing on his injured Achilles, noting postgame (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur) the hope will be for a Week 7 return.
San Francisco’s bye being in Week 8 could certainly lead to the team resting the All-Pro pass catcher. On that note, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan expects Evans to at least miss Week 7 in an effort to give him an extra week to recover. The 49ers face the Falcons on Sunday.
Although Evans was considered highly questionable to face the Broncos in Week 4, he played through his rib issue. He then delivered a strong Week 5 showing in Seattle, catching seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Evans had been a key Purdy target early in the Commanders game, and the visitors’ rally occurred after the free agency pickup had left. If the 49ers are to be without Evans for their Falcons matchup, we could see one of the more interesting patchwork position groups in recent NFL history.
Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, Malik Turner and the recently signed Brandin Cooks are the healthy WRs on San Francisco’s 53-man roster. Two rookie UDFAs (Will Pauling, Wesley Grimes) and Xavier Smith — a three-year Rams reserve who recently caught on with the 49ers — joins them. Kirk appears close to returning from the calf strain sustained during training camp. Shanahan said IR would have been a consideration for Samuel, but with the team’s bye coming soon, it elected to keep the second-stint wideout on its active roster.
The 49ers, of course, still have All-Pros George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey anchoring their skill-position corps; both players can be classified as injury-prone, however. San Francisco looking to the trade market for help — something Adam La Rose’s most recent PFR mailbag addressed — despite its 6-0 record may be necessary given the latest spate of injuries. No big-ticket trade should be expected, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, but a depth-based acquisition would make sense.
A Jauan Jennings return is a natural fit Breer mentions. After seeing his market underwhelm this offseason, Jennings has struggled with the Vikings. Minnesota has the longtime San Francisco auxiliary WR on a one-year, $8MM contract. But the team recently added Odell Beckham Jr. as a possible No. 3 wideout alongside Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Jennings trade rumors have emerged already.
Jennings returning would be interesting after the 49ers decided to look elsewhere after discussing a deal at the Combine. It appears Jennings’ price point influenced the 49ers to back away from that market, joining other teams in that regard. This came after Jennings’ push for a raise in 2025 failed.
Nevertheless, the former seventh-round pick — a six-year 49er — was an important piece for the team’s injury-plagued receiver cadre over the past two seasons. Jennings totaled 1,618 receiving yards and 15 touchdown receptions in that span, helping a 49ers team going through the strange Brandon Aiyuk saga. (Aiyuk remains on San Francisco’s reserve/left squad list and is almost certainly not an option to help amid the latest injury crisis.)
Jennings, 29, has just two receptions for nine yards in four Vikings games. His contract would be easy for the 49ers to absorb, as it only carries a prorated $1.63MM in base salary. While Jennings could be lost in a crowded WR room once the non-Pearsall injury contingent returns, the 49ers may decide not to worry about that and focus on the short-term help he could provide. The team went to a familiar face last summer, re-signing Kendrick Bourne. The veteran parlayed his second Bay Area stop into a two-year, $10MM Cardinals deal this offseason. Jennings will aim higher, but he is not on track to do very well on next year’s market at this rate.
