The early craze over the San Francisco 49ers' rookie De'Zhaun Stribling has long dissipated, as the wide receiver hasn't played since Week 1 due to a deltoid ligament sprain in his ankle. His return is highly anticipated. The only problem is that fans may have to muffle their excitement until next year.
This week, NBC's Jennifer Leechan reported that Stribling still isn't walking on his injured foot, thus putting his return timetable at Week 12 at the earliest.
It's deflating news for the youngster, who burst on the scene with a flurry of exceptional preseason performances, all but forcing his way into a starting role. After Ricky Pearsall's season-ending surgery in training camp, Stribling looked poised for a breakout rookie campaign.
Now, he might be a non-factor this season.
49ers may have to chalk Stribling's rookie season as a wash
Even if Stribling does return in Week 12, he will be joining a team near or at the top of the NFC standings. Currently the holder of the conference's top seed, it is likely they will be pushing for a Wild Card Round bye all season.
That being said, Purdy and Stribling will have almost no chemistry built between them, and it will likely be too late to bring the latter fully up to speed. Only one team in each conference gets a first-round bye, meaning one or two small missteps during the regular season could force the 49ers to play an extra game.
Therefore, it is more likely that Stribling comes back and slots into a complementary role, where veterans Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel shoulder the bulk of the snaps.
Even then, there is no guarantee the rookie comes back in the capacity in which he began the season. If he is still unable to put his full weight on his left ankle, it will likely take weeks just for him to ramp up his conditioning, let alone fully rehabilitate from the injury. With the severity of his injury combined with his slow progress, a late-season integration into a major offensive role is simply unrealistic.
As a result, it is more likely that Stribling will look toward 2027 to make a serious impact. If he comes back later this season, he will still be able to give the wide receiver room a boost, just not in the way many were expecting early on. He's still young and is overflowing with talent, so fans could still see a breakout campaign from the pass catcher. They may just have to wait until next year to see him take over in the San Francisco offense.
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