For once, the San Francisco 49ers seem to have caught a break on the injury front.
Mike Evans, Trent Williams and Dre Greenlaw all left their win Sunday over the Arizona Cardinals with various ailments, but none is expected to cause them to miss significant — if any — time.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said on a Monday conference call that their All-Pro left tackle “should be good to go by Thursday” and “really all three of these guys are in the same boat.”
Evans, 33, was the biggest concern when he left Sunday’s game shortly before halftime, holding his midsection and doubled over in pain. Immediately after the game, the 49ers weren’t sure whether Evans had injured his ribs or his oblique or how severe the issue was.
Shanahan revealed Monday that it was a rib injury and that “it shouldn’t be long-term.”
Williams left with a stinger in his neck and Greenlaw with a quad contusion. All three will have to be “managed” in practice this week, according to Shanahan, but otherwise came out OK.
Consider it a huge relief for the injury-stricken 49ers, who had already lost their top four receivers besides Evans. So many players have gone down this season that the 49ers have opted not to place some on injured reserve, for fear of using up the eight allotted slots for them to return.
On Monday, the 49ers signed 34-year-old former Pro Bowl defensive end Matthew Judon to their practice squad in a move to shore up their defensive line. The 49ers won last week despite playing without six of the 10 defensive linemen to begin the season on their initial 53-man roster.
They should get at least one of them back next Sunday. Rookie edge rusher Romello Height (broken hand) is expected to return to practice this week, Shanahan said.
Mykel Williams, on the Physically Unable to Perform list, will also open his practice window this week. The former first-round defensive end is eligible to make his season debut in Week 5.
