8 49ers Miss First Week 4 Practice Against Broncos

This was to be expected.

Sep 11, 2026; Melbourne, AUS; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (5) in the second half at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This isn't normal for most NFL teams, but when it comes to the San Francisco 49ers, it's the standard.

Eight players missed Week 4's first practice against the Denver Broncos. No, that was not a typo. A whopping eight players were held out of Wednesday's practice.

Christian McCaffrey was one of those eight players, but he's being rested, which is his usual schedule during the season. There's no concern about him.

However, you can't say that about the other players who were held out. Let's start with the key starters that the 49ers are missing.

Mike Evans

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Evans is missing practice. He suffered a rib injury against the Arizona Cardinals that is likely a fracture, since Kyle Shanahan is extremely coy about it.

Evans will probably miss Thursday's as well, which means all eyes will be on Friday's session to see if he participates. That follows the same regimen he had last week when he dealt with a hip injury.

The right move to make with Evans is to hold him out against the Broncos. It'll sting their offense, but they can't risk him worsening his injury with the Seattle Seahawks up next.

Trent Williams

A stinger knocked Williams out against the Cardinals, so it makes sense that he's out of practice on Wednesday. It's also typical for him to be a non-participant.

Like McCaffrey, Williams doesn't participate in the first practice of the week. I wouldn't be worried about Williams. Even if he misses Thursday's session, I'd feel confident in his chances of starting this week.

Dre Greenlaw

Another player that the 49ers hold out for rest during the practice week is Dre Greenlaw, but today, he was out with a quad contusion suffered this past Sunday.

Greenlaw dealt with quad injuries last year, so I'd be a bit concerned about his status against Denver. He'll surely want to go out and play against his former team, but this injury is tricky given he has a history with it.

Keion White

This is a new one. White is out of practice with a hamstring injury. This needs to be red-flagged immediately. The 49ers cannot handle another defensive line loss, but they might, since hamstring injuries are the biggest wildcard.

Nick Bosa

This was to be expected. Bosa was already set to miss at least a few weeks, and since the 49ers aren't going to place him on Injured Reserve, he'll continue to be listed on the practice report.

James Thompson Jr.

An ankle sprain is keeping rookie James Thompson Jr. out. Similar to Bosa, the 49ers aren't going to place him on Injured Reserve since it's cramped. Don't expect him out there against Denver.

KhaDarel Hodge

Another random injury that popped up along with White is KhaDarel Hodge. He's dealing with a knee injury, and you have to wonder if it keeps him out for a while. The 49ers reunited with Dante Pettis. His addition could be linked to Hodge's injury.

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