Sunday brought another San Francisco 49ers victory and with it came yet another injury to a Niners wide receiver. Mike Evans left the game with what head coach Kyle Shanahan later described as a rib and oblique injury, which makes the third straight game the 49ers have lost a wide receiver.
Rookie De’Zhaun Stribling went down in Week 1 and will miss most of the season. Demarcus Robinson got hurt in Week 2 and was placed on injured reserve.
Now, Evans could miss some time.
It basically feels like a law of nature at this point that every Niners victory has to be accompanied by an injury to a wide receiver. But thankfully, it wasn’t all bad news on the wide receiver front on Sunday as second-year player Jordan Watkins played quite well.
Jordan Watkins took advantage of his opportunity in Week 2
Watkins hauled in two passes for 60 yards, which is easily the best game of his young NFL career. The Ole Miss product didn’t play much in 2025 as a rookie, thanks to injury, but when he did play, he had just two catches for 26 yards.
The receiver already doubled his output from last season, which is encouraging. But at this rate, he may have to start a game for the Niners soon. Sunday at least showed he is capable of a bigger role in San Francisco’s offense, and after the game, Watkins said a conversation with head coach Kyle Shanahan helped that.
“To be on the sidelines in sweats, to me that's not being able to compete and help my brothers win. I just went up to Kyle and I asked him just straight up, 'what can I do to get on the field?' ... he kinda let me know what it was,” Watkins said.
Shanahan spoke about Watkins earlier last week and said the reason Watkins wasn’t active the first two weeks had more to do with his abilities as a special teams player than it did him as a receiver. Now, the Niners don’t have the luxury to be picky with their receivers, so even if Watkins isn’t the best at kick coverage, he’s still going to have to suit up.
It’s always been a narrative with Shanahan that it takes time for him to trust his young receivers. Sometimes there are exceptions, like with Deebo Samuel when he was a rookie, or Stribling who seemed primed for a big role this season. But usually, it takes young 49ers receivers time to learn the intricacies of the offense and prove they can be trusted.
Watkins’ performance on Sunday will go a long way toward building more trust with Shanahan and chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy. They’re going to need Watkins going forward, given all of the injuries, so expect to see more of him the rest of this season.
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