The San Francisco 49ers recently placed rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling on injured reserve after he suffered an ankle sprain during the Niners' Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Australia.
Perhaps the Niners could've avoided Stribling's injury, had they been more cautious when it appeared he was having trouble with his ankle early in the game. And with news he required surgery, the retrospect is palpable.
But, regardless now, the promising first-year pro will be out for an estimated 10 weeks even if there's hope he'll be able to return later this season.
De'Zhaun Stribling had surgery today. He's expected to miss 10 weeks and the team is hopeful he can return this season.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) September 16, 2026
The ramifications, however, may extend well beyond San Francisco just missing its top investment from last April's draft for the immediate future. If anything, his absence not puts an increased amount of pressure on the remainder of the receiving depth chart to stay healthy.
Particularly veterans Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel.
De'Zhaun Stribling injury means Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel must stay healthy
San Francisco barely needed Stribling in its 27-7 victory over L.A, especially in light of both Evans and Samuel delivering to the tune of a touchdown apiece. And depth wide receiver Demarcus Robinson also got into the end zone, suggesting the 49ers' reserves are capable of contributing in Stribling's absence, too.
But it's a precarious task for the 49ers to bank on both Evans and Samuel staying healthy during the rookie's upcoming absence. The two over-30s wideouts have extensive injury histories, including Evans missing the bulk of training camp with various minor ailments.
And Samuel's previous Niners career frequently had stints with several games missed, too.
Obviously, both of those two weapons have plenty of name recognition, and the fact Evans and Samuel went off against what's supposed to be an elite Los Angeles defense should put the rest of San Francisco's opponents on notice.
Yet things would change drastically if either/both veterans are unable to stay healthy over the next few weeks. Robinson as a WR1 on the depth chart doesn't exactly strike a lot of fear into defenses, nor would fringe receivers Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins getting increased roles, meaning the 49ers would be wise to do whatever they can to ensure both Evans and Samuel maintain their availability.
Hopefully, that wouldn't be a mandatory requirement beyond the upcoming 10 weeks over which Stribling would be absent.
Add us as a preferred source on Google