Evan Stewart injury: Dan Lanning faces massive blow as Oregon star suffers medical setback

Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks suffered an unexpected setback before the start of the 2025 campaign. Last season, wide receiver Evan Stewart transferred from Texas A&M to play in Eugene. In his debut campaign with the Ducks, Stewart put up 613 yards and five TDs receiving.

Evan Stewart was expected to take the field for Dan Lanning this upcoming season. Reportedly, the wide receiver will not be seeing any game time for the team.

According to a tweet by 'SleeperCFB', Evan Stewart tore his patellar tendon during the offseason. Thus, he is expected to miss out on the entirety of the 2025-26 season.

"BREAKING- Oregon Star WR Evan Stewart tore his patellar tendon and will miss the entire 2025-2026 season," the tweet read.

The Ducks have not yet released an official statement about Stewart's situation. However, if he did suffer a season-ending injury, then it would be a massive blow for the team's offense.

Dan Lanning bid farewell to Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden in this year's NFL draft. Both of them spent the past two seasons helping out the Ducks' offense. However, their departures left a void in the team. Thus, Evan Stewart was expected to become the team's No.1 wide receiver this year.

What are the other options for Dan Lanning and his team?

Evan Stewart was the most suited to take over the reins of the Ducks' wide receiving corps. However, with his reported injury, they have a few options on the depth chart.

The first potential choice would be five-star freshman Dakorien Moore Jr. He joined the program as a part of the class of 2025. Apart from him, Lanning also has Malik Benson, Kyle Jasper, Jeremiah McClellan, Gary Bryant Jr. and Justius Lowe as options on the WR depth chart.

The Ducks begin their 2025 campaign with a season opener against Montana State. Fans will be waiting with bated breath for an official statement on Evan Stewart's health.

About the author

Priyam is a College Sports content executive at Sportskeeda with a master's in Advertising and Marketing Management and over two years of experience as a writer. When it comes to reporting, Priyam believes doing a technical deep dive is one of his biggest strengths and he loves to dissect plays on the field and factor out the strengths/weaknesses of players.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Priyam sees Nick Saban as the greatest coach of all time. He is also rooting for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milore after following his progress over the years. The Michigan Wolverines football team is another of his favorite programs and it will be interesting to see how both these teams perform in new coaching eras.

When he’s not reporting, Priyam is usually at the gym or indulging in music. He has been a guitarist and a drummer for the past 17 years and finds his time of peace when playing music.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra