San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters after Sunday's Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals, providing several injury updates from the game.
Wide receiver Mike Evans suffered a rib/oblique injury in the second quarter and was carted to the locker room. He was eventually ruled out and did not return.
When asked about the severity of Evans' injury, Shanahan said, "We're not sure yet."
During the game, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Evans is dealing with a rib strain.
"He'll have a full evaluation tomorrow, but those can be painful," Rapoport wrote on social media.
#49ers WR Mike Evans, who left the game earlier, is dealing with a rib strain, source said. He'll have a full evaluation tomorrow, but those can be painful.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 27, 2026
Shanahan was asked if he had an idea of how much time Evans might miss. However, the uncertainty around the injury makes it difficult to estimate a timetable right now.
"We don't know yet," the coach said. "We couldn't tell if it was a broken rib; we couldn't tell if it was an oblique, so it's something we'll find out probably more tomorrow."
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was asked about his perspective on Evans' injury.
"I really didn't see it," Samuel said. "I just so happened to turn around and see Mike grimacing. I didn't know what type of injury it was, and I [saw him] out there and he was grabbing his ribs, so I was like, 'Aw man, I hope he's gonna be alright.'"
Tight end George Kittle was asked about the potential impact of losing a player like Evans if he has to miss time.
"Losing a Hall of Fame wide receiver who's still playing at a Hall of Fame level, that's tough to replace," Kittle said. "You don't really get that very often. But like I said, we have a lot of good players on this team. The young guys, they're all going to play at a high level. That's my expectation of them.
"And Coach Shanahan and [offensive coordinator Klay] Kubiak and [run game coordinator] Joe Graves are going to scheme the hell out of the next team that we play to put guys in opportunities to succeed."
Other 49ers injuries
Shanahan also shared the following injury updates:
- Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was evaluated for a concussion but returned to the game.
- Tackle Trent Williams suffered a stinger and did not return.
- Cornerback Renardo Green was evaluated for a concussion but returned to the game.
- Defensive tackle Gracen Halton was dealing with cramps and did not return.
- Linebacker Dre Greenlaw suffered a quad injury, returned for one play, and then was pulled from the game.
- Linebacker Garret Wallow suffered a stinger but returned to the game.
Williams refrained from predicting whether he would be available for San Francisco's next game. He knew right away that the injury was a stinger.
"I've had a lot of them," Williams said in the locker room. "Then, it was just wanting to get more imaging on the neck portion of it and make sure everything was all right."
Up next: The 49ers will host the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium on Sunday, October 4. We'll have to wait to see how much more short-handed the team might be for that Week 4 matchup.
More info on: Mike Evans, Renardo Green, Dre Greenlaw, Gracen Halton, George Kittle, Deommodore Lenoir, Deebo Samuel, Garret Wallow, Trent Williams
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