Mike Evans drops significant injury update as 49ers stars miss practice

The 49ers opened preparations for their season opener with an uneven injury picture Monday in Melbourne.Mike Evans was back on the field after missing much of training camp, while Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey remained away from drills during the portion of practice open to reporters.George Kittle, meanwhile, continued his accelerated return from a torn Achilles by participating in individual work.Evans offered the clearest reason for optimism.The veteran wide receiver dealt with groin and quadriceps injuries during the summer, adding to the concern created by the hamstring trouble that has cost him games in recent seasons.

Evans said his limited workload, however, reflected the team’s caution rather than the severity of his ailments.“The training staff, they did a great job working with me,” Evans told reporters.“I know I’m an older player.

I’ve had probably over a thousand practices, football practices in my life now, so I know what I’m doing out there.They know what they’re doing.

They did a good job taking care of me.“None of my injuries were significant.If it was a game week, I wouldn’t have missed any time.”That assessment reinforces the expectation that Evans will play against the Rams on Thursday.

His availability has become especially important with Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk on the injured reserve list.What initially appeared to be a deep San Francisco receiving corps has quickly placed more responsibility on Evans to give Brock Purdy a dependable outside target.The outlook surrounding two of the 49ers’ other stars was less transparent Monday.Bosa did not participate in early drills after spending most of camp managing tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee.

Despite his absence, the defensive end was emphatic about his intentions before the team departed for Australia.“I’m flying out there, I’m going to f–king play,” Bosa said.McCaffrey spoke with reporters but remained off to the side once practi...