The San Francisco 49ers bolstered their wide receiver group Tuesday by landing veteran Keenan Allen from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
The addition helps on paper, but it does little to ease the club’s larger worry about Mike Evans and the Achilles tendinitis that has kept him off the field.
Evans has missed the last two games because of the injury. The 49ers do not expect him to practice when the work week opens Wednesday, which makes a return against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday look unlikely.
The team has held up without him so far. San Francisco sits at 7-1 and leads the NFC West. Regular-season success has come even with Evans sidelined.
Winning a Super Bowl without a healthy Evans is a steeper climb, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco.
“If the missing piece is missing, the 49ers will be missing out on a championship,” Maiocco said. “The margin for error is thin in the NFL. It’s such a long season and a lot of things have to go right, including luck, to be the last team standing.
“Wide receiver Mike Evans impact was felt in the first six games of the season… Evans signed a below-market contract with the 49ers because he thought he could help give the team a legitimate chance at the Super Bowl,” he added. “Evans missed his second game in a row due to Achilles tendinitis. He might be out even longer, as the 49ers likely agree: They need him healthy for the games that matter the most. He is a unique talent who makes the offense so much better. Evans has the rare ability to be the difference maker.”
Evans arrived this offseason for his 13th NFL year after a long run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He formed an immediate connection with quarterback Brock Purdy.
Through six games he hauled in 27 receptions on 39 targets for 420 yards and three touchdowns. That works out to 15.6 yards per catch, and nearly every reception moved the chains or reached the end zone.
The Achilles problem flared more than three weeks ago. Evans left a Monday night win over the Washington Commanders late in the second quarter on Oct. 19 and has not played since.
Without him the offense still scores points, yet it lacks a clear primary outside target. That is the role the club signed Evans to fill.
He accepted a three-year contract that can reach $60.4 million but carries a much lower practical annual value near $14 million. Evans viewed the below-market deal as the price of a genuine Super Bowl chance.
“I feel like they were one piece away, and I think that I’m that piece,” Evans said after agreeing to the deal.
General manager John Lynch has said the team hopes to get Evans back in the coming weeks. Coaches are proceeding carefully so the tendinitis does not become a longer-term issue, drawing on lessons from Christian McCaffrey’s earlier Achilles trouble.
The Allen trade itself may reflect that caution. The organization appears ready for the possibility that Evans needs more time.
Daily checks continue on his progress. For a 7-1 team already in first place, the difference between a deep playoff run and falling short could rest on whether Evans returns at full strength for the games that decide the season.
