Niners WR Evans (rib) questionable, but aims to play: 'It's my job'

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  Nick WagonerOct 2, 2026, 06:10 PM ET

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  Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In over a decade with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 and 2023 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans is questionable for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos and will be a gametime decision, according to coach Kyle Shanahan.

But Evans, who was a limited participant in Friday's practice after missing Wednesday and Thursday, said he is going to give "my best" to play against the Broncos despite his painful rib injury.

"It's my job," Evans said. "I take pride in trying to suit up every chance I get. If the injury isn't unbearable and you can't play through it, then I won't play. But if there's something I can play through, I'm going to be there for my team as best I can."

On Friday, Evans spoke to media for the first time since suffering the injury in the first half of last week's win against the Arizona Cardinals. He said he wasn't sure when, exactly, the injury happened but on the play where he left the game, he was running a route, turned and then it "felt like somebody stabbed me in my chest."

Evans went to the ground and then slowly made his way to the sideline before he went to the locker room on a cart. Asked if he thought the injury happened earlier, Evans said he couldn't pinpoint anything other than a big hit from Cardinals safety Budda Baker, but he said he felt that in his head more than his chest or rib area.

While Evans' status will loom until closer to gametime, he sounded like someone pushing to play on Friday. He said he doesn't plan to use a flak jacket because it "looks kind of weak" and it's more for quarterbacks. But Evans said a padding option will be important and he's hoping to use a compression shirt that has some built into it.

Evans said he's previously played through a rib injury. His game log shows that while he was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had a rib injury in November of 2022. He was limited in practice before playing against the Seattle Seahawks and posting five catches for 54 yards in a 21-16 win.

According to Evans, the key to playing through such an injury is getting adequate padding surrounding the rib while also making sure to take extra time to warm your body up before playing.

"It was brutal to play through," Evans said. "But it's something that I can do."

Shanahan, who recently dealt with three broken ribs from a car accident in July, also offered some hope that Evans will play against Denver.

"I would be out without a doubt," Shanahan said, laughing. "But he's definitely a lot tougher than me. So, hopefully we've got a shot."

Elsewhere on the injury report, the Niners ruled out defensive end Nick Bosa (calf), defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. (ankle) and defensive lineman Mykel Williams (knee).

Like Evans, linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quad) and defensive lineman Keion White (hamstring) are questionable after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday and then working on a limited basis Friday.