When the San Francisco 49ers lost Mike Evans during their Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the visible pain Evans was in looked like a player who would be out for longer than seven days.
During a Thursday morning interview on KNBR, Lynch spoke about his star wide receiver’s toughness:
“I will tell you this: Mike Evans, part of the whole package, when I talk to people like Ronde Barber, my old friend who’s stayed really close with the Bucs, once we got him, I think one of the things Ronde said
first was, ‘That’s a tough SOB. And I think we’ve already seen that with Mike. You know, he is old school in his mindset, and he doesn’t want to miss.”
Evans missed Wednesday’s sessionwith the rib injury he sustained this past Sunday. Lynch isn’t ready to rule Evans out for Sunday just yet, though:
“And so, we’ll always do what’s right for our player and all that stuff, but Mike’s going to make every attempt to try to play, and we’ll see where that goes. It’s still Thursday, and a couple more days before we kick off. He’s dealing with that, and we’ll see if he can get there by Sunday.”
The 49ers could be down multiple receivers, as Evans wasn’t the only wideout to miss Wednesday’s practice. KhaDarel Hodge was a new addition with a knee injury, which explains Dante Pettis’s signing to the practice squad.
Against the best secondary they’ve faced to date, the 49ers’ wide receivers could consist of: Deebo Samuel, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins, Brandin Cooks, and Pettis this Sunday.
Not yet for Nick Bosa
The 49ers must’ve felt like Nick Bosa was closer to “week-to-week” since they didn’t place him on Injured Reserve. Bosa pulled his calf muscle in practice last week, missing Week 3.
According to Lynch, it’ll be at least another week until we see the Niners’ best defensive player:
“I think Nick’s doing well. He’s working diligently. I mean, it was just like a week ago today when that happened. And so, he’s worked really hard, and he’ll likely be out this week, and then we’ll go from there. And we’ll look forward to the time when we have Nick back.”
Romello Height was limited on Wednesday. It’d be nice to get him back in the fold, especially if Keion White’s hamstring injury keeps him sidelined. The good news is White was working on the side of the field, so he may be able to contribute in Week 4.
The 49ers aren’t going to rush Bosa back: “But when we bring him back, we’ve got to make sure he’s right on all counts, and he’ll work his tail off until he can get back out there. I think he’s working through it, and when he’s right, we’ll have him back out there. I’m not trying to be vague. Calf injuries are sometimes murky.”
The goal without Bosa doesn’t change: Win more than you lose. A 3-0 cushion helps. Seattle falling in Week 3 did, too. But we know how unpredictable the NFL is, and the Niners could get upset just as easily. Weathering the storm until Bosa returns won’t be easy.
Mykel Williams is likely a week away from returning, but it’s unfair to expect him to look like a first-rounder given the injury he’s coming back from.
