San Francisco rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling is expected to miss at least one month after injuring his ankle in the 49ers’ season-opening victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
SEO Title: 49ers rookie De’Zhaun Stribling sidelined at least one month with ankle injury
SEO Description: San Francisco rookie receiver De’Zhaun Stribling will miss at least a month with an ankle injury suffered in the 49ers’ Week 1 win over the Rams.
49ers lose first 2026 draft selection
Stribling suffered a deltoid sprain in the first quarter against the Rams and exited during the second quarter. He did not receive a target while playing 21 offensive snaps.
The rookie is continuing to seek medical evaluations. Surgery remains a possible outcome, although it is not currently expected.
San Francisco made Stribling the first selection of the second round in the 2026 NFL Draft, making him the club’s first pick of the draft. His absence will keep him out for at least a quarter of the regular season.
Wide receiver workload shifts early
With Stribling unavailable, the 49ers will need greater early-season contributions from the rest of Brock Purdy’s receiving group. Demarcus Robinson, Deebo Samuel and Jacob Cowing are in line for more snaps than initially anticipated.
- New arrival Mike Evans led San Francisco wide receivers with 48 snaps against Los Angeles.
- Robinson played 40 snaps in the opener.
- Samuel was on the field for 26 offensive snaps.
- Stribling finished with 21 snaps and no targets before leaving the game.
Injury concerns continue for San Francisco
The Stribling injury adds to a growing list of personnel setbacks for the 49ers, who had recently begun to regain several key players.
- Ricky Pearsall is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery in August.
- Defensive tackle Alfred Collins tore his patellar tendon during practice in Australia.
- Tight end Jake Tonges left the Rams game with a knee injury.
- George Kittle and Nick Bosa returned to game action in the opener after their 2025 season-ending injuries.
Next kickoff
The 49ers opened the season 1-0 with the victory over the Rams. San Francisco will host the Miami Dolphins in its home opener on Sept. 20, with kickoff scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET.
