San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans walked off Tuesday’s joint practice early, reportedly due to “tightness.” This isn’t just a minor blip on the radar for the Niners; it’s a recurring issue that’s gotta be making coach Kyle Shanahan nervous about his receiving corps.
Evans’s Return Cut Short and a Familiar Problem
Evans’s early exit happened just after he’d finally gotten back on the field. Initially, his left foot/ankle was wrapped in ice, but then it was just his quad that got the ice pack. Shanahan downplayed it, saying, “They just said he has some tightness, so we were just being smart, taking him out. I don’t think it’s anything worse, so we’ll see when we get in there, but nothing that I’m worried about right now.” That’s the typical coach-speak, right? But the thing is, Evans *already* strained a quadriceps on August 1 and was out until August 15. To have this “tightness” crop up again so soon after returning? That’s not a good look.
Kirk’s Ongoing Absence Piles on the Concern
As if Evans’s situation isn’t enough, fellow wide receiver Christian Kirk is still sidelined. He hasn’t been back at practice since straining his calf midway through the first training camp session. Shanahan sounded pretty frustrated about Kirk’s luck, noting, “That’s been unfortunate for him because he had the same thing in OTAs, so he missed that. And he hasn’t been ready to go.” He added that Kirk got injured “before we even got to team periods” and is “extremely frustrated.” You gotta feel for the guy, but the reality is, two key receivers are battling injuries this early in the season.
What does this mean for the 49ers? Getting healthy and building chemistry is crucial right now. Losing key guys to recurring soft-tissue injuries before the regular season even kicks off can absolutely mess with a team’s rhythm. They need these guys on the field, not in the trainer’s room.
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Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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