Wide receiver Mike Evans is turning back the clock in his first season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2026. After 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Evans has looked like his prime self from 10 years ago in San Francisco’s first five games this season.
Unfortunately, Evans missed Thursday’s practice with two different injuries. Evans has been dealing with a rib injury, but head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that Evans is also dealing with “Achilles soreness.” Could this put Evans in danger of missing Monday night’s game against the Washington Commanders?
Evans initially injured his ribs in Week 3, but has played through the pain over the last two weeks. He continues to play at a high level, catching 24 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns
through five weeks. In last week’s win over the Seattle Seahawks, Evans caught 10 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, a season high.
The undefeated 49ers would take a big hit if Evans can’t play on Monday night. San Francisco will already be without Deebo Samuel, who played for the Commanders last season.
If Evans were only dealing with the rib injury, he’d definitely be playing. He’s tough. However, the additional injury could make the 49ers cautious with the future Hall of Famer. It's also worth noting that everything is a day behind schedule this week, with the game on Monday. So San Francisco could give Evans extra rest ahead of Monday night. The key will be whether Evans practices on Saturday or not.
For now, it sounds like the 49ers are just playing it safe. However, if Evans can’t go, that would be huge news for Washington’s struggling secondary, which is expected to get safety Nick Cross and cornerback Trey Amos back in Week 6.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: 49ers dealing with concerning injury news for Week 6 vs Commanders
