I disagree with the main part of Simms take (Point #2 below) but Point 1 is reasonable under the circumstance, even Shanahan acknowledges that.
Point 1 - INJURIES
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been limited during the San Francisco 49ers’ training camp due to a strained left quad. “I think everybody in the league is going, ‘Oh, man, they’re gonna depend on him? Can you depend on him now?'” Simms asked.
EVEN SHANHAN AGREES:
"On Saturday, the coach of his new team was asked about the expectations for the 33-year-old receiver in his 13th season.
"Yeah, it depends if he stays healthy," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters about Evans. "Mike to me is always, if you're a starting receiver, you're out there a ton which everyone is. I forget what it was last year, maybe hamstring, where he missed time and when that happens you miss games.
"But Mike's going to be a starting receiver here and we don't like any of our guys to go every play. We want our guys going full speed and it's hard to go full speed every play. So, we're always going to spell guys. But hopefully, he's got a little quad right now, which I know Mike probably believes he could be back right now. We're being smart with him, but he's going to be good to go."
Point #2 - the SF offense is WRONG for Evans.
“And then even before that, even bringing up just the physical ability of Mike Evans, the other thing I know I question, and I know a lot of people in the league question too, is, does he even really fit with how the 49ers play?
I mean, we’ve watched Mike Evans our whole career. He’s been a guy that’s been on the outside, down the field, comebacks, post, go routes. Throw it up, he gets it, 20-yard curl routes, that’s how he works. Brock Purdy isn’t that kind of quarterback.”
Simms added, “We don’t sit there and wax poetically about Purdy and go, ‘Woo, look at that laser on that 20-yard out route he threw right there. Woo, look at that bomb that he threw there… so he’s not that kind of guy, and is Mike Evans the guy that can go over the middle consistently? ‘Cause we know that’s where the 49ers live… The Mike Evans thing [is] certainly a big question mark.”
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I think somewhere on the Red Board is an "Evans left Mayfield for Purdy " argument. Count Simms as out on that one lol.
But, I think Simms is missing that Evans doesn't really play that game as much these days AND to his credit he became a pretty good over the middle force when Godwin went down. I think Evans can really thrive with the 49ers, if he can stay healthy. He may even get better deep looks with Shanahan and play action to CMC
Evans left Tampa because 1. The room is too full and 2. He can be WR 1 in a room that doesn’t really have a WR 3.
We are all better for Mike’s exit.
