Entering Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, the San Francisco 49ers
are doing just fine from a regular-season perspective. The 49ers are at the top of the NFC standings and sit in the driver's seat for the conference's No. 1 overall playoff seed. But these 49ers are past caring about regular-season accomplishments. They're trying to play for January and February. That's the biggest reason we won't see veteran stalwart receiver Mike Evans play on Sunday.San Francisco, for all intents and purposes, is playing the long game because it is trying to win the first Super Bowl of the Kyle Shanahan era.
For the time being, Evans is dealing with what is being called Achilles tendinitis. It's an injury that isn't season-ending by any means, but it does
need time to recover without risk of aggravating or making it worse.
As such, the 49ers are being cautious with their most dependable pass-catcher because they need him ready to fire on all cylinders during this winter.
#49ers inactives vs. Cowboys:
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 15, 2026
QB Kurtis Rourke (3rd QB)
WR Mike Evans (Achilles)
OT Enrique Cruz Jr.
LB Tatum Bethune
WR Brandin Cooks
The good news for Evans and the 49ers is that it doesn't seem like he will miss much more time within the context of the regular season. In the lead-up to the matchup with the Cowboys, Shanahan characterized Evans as being "real close" to coming back. Usually, when a coach says something like this, a return is right over the horizon. As such, I would be surprised if Evans doesn't play against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11 in Mexico City. Shanahan wouldn't have used such verbiage if Evans' return wasn't looming.
Take solace, 49ers fans. Evans should be back making big third-down catches and touchdowns very soon.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: When will Mike Evans come back to the 49ers?
