San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans has been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL when he is healthy. However, that "when healthy" aspect has not been as consistent as the team would like. 

San Francisco 49ers Detail Plan for Mike Evans' Return

Evans left the 49ers' Week 6 win over the Washington Commanders with an Achilles injury. After missing the 49ers' Week 7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and getting the bye week off, Evans still did not participate in practice when the 49ers returned to the field on Wednesday. 

Evans was ruled out for Week 9, but the 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan noted the team has a plan for his potential return.

“Yeah, I think we've made a lot of progress,” Shanahan said of the status of their star free agent addition. “I think he's going the right direction, and I mean it's something we definitely got to be smart with. We're not going to, like, overdo it. We just want to wait till he's healthy and he's still working his way to get there.”

When healthy, Evans is arguably the best receiver in the NFL. He is averaging 3.41 yards per route run. That is second in the NFL behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The issue is that he can not always stay on the field at his age.

Evans played 75% of the snaps in Week 1, and left with an injury. He has not played more than 63% in any game since then and has played in less than half of the snaps in two games. Overall, he has only played 46% of the team's snaps, and he is still struggling to stay healthy.

San Francisco is up three games in the loss column against the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. They have also beaten both of those teams already. So, the 49ers are not going to rush him back. 

Christian Kirk returned before the bye week, and the team just opened the 21-day practice window for Demarcus Robinson. Jordan Watkins took steps before the bye week, so the team might have enough depth to get by without Evans for another week or two. 

The goal for the 49ers is to maintain their division lead, but also get Evans into the playoffs healthy. If that happens, they have one of the best threats in the NFL. That is more important than a Week 9 matchup.