San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling is expected to miss at least a month after suffering a deltoid strain in his ankle during the team's Week 1 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. The injury was reported by ESPN and leaves the 49ers without Stribling for a substantial portion of the season.
Stribling is currently not scheduled for surgery, but he is continuing to receive medical opinions. A procedure remains possible, and the 49ers are reportedly taking a cautious approach with the rookie.
The injury occurred in the second quarter when Stribling cut toward the middle of the field during a route. After separating from Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie, he appeared to hurt his left leg, moved forward while favoring it and went down.
Trainers helped him to the medical tent, and team personnel later took him to the locker room after he was unable to place weight on the leg.
Stribling had already left the game earlier because of an ankle problem and visited the medical tent. He was initially listed as questionable to return, then went back onto the field before the later injury. He finished his regular-season debut without an offensive statistic and was not targeted by quarterback Brock Purdy.
The absence interrupts the momentum Stribling developed during the preseason. The Mississippi State product was selected No. 33 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft and earned opportunities with San Francisco's starters during exhibition play. He caught 11 of 13 passes thrown his way for 109 yards, including seven receptions during the opening 20 minutes of an August preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.
