The San Francisco 49ers got the win in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams in a dominating 27-7 performance, but they lost wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling and tight end Jake Tonges in the process.
We now know the severity of both injuries, as Stribling underwent ankle surgery and is expected to be out 10 weeks, while Tonges tore his MCL and is done for the year.
These are two significant losses because it now means the Niners have less depth at two key offensive positions. San Francisco’s top three receivers are Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, and Demarcus Robinson. All three are over age 30, so there are going to be injury concerns.
As for tight end, the 49ers thankfully have George Kittle back in the fold after he tore his Achilles earlier this year, but Week 1 made it clear he’s not at full capacity, so they would be wise to be careful with him going forward.
For the short term, the Niners have elevated wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge and tight end Brayden Willis from the practice squad to the active roster. Yet, in the long term, especially if there are more injuries as the season goes on (which is a pretty safe bet with this team), they may have to turn to two undrafted rookies who have shown promise.
Will Pauling and Khalil Dinkins have chances to prove themselves after 49ers injuries
Will Pauling came out of Notre Dame and is a smaller guy who has a lot of speed. He was in the running for punt-returner duties, but Jacob Cowing clinched that job with his return for a touchdown in the preseason.
As for Khalil Dinkins, he dealt with an injury a few months ago, but he’s back with the squad and did enough for San Francisco to give him a three-year deal at one point. He didn’t put up crazy numbers at Penn State, but he’s 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds, so he has the size to be effective.
Don’t expect these guys to be starting in a few weeks, but with injuries, guys like them can start seeing playing time pretty quickly. So it wouldn’t be a shock if we see them get elevated and have to play a bit at some point this year.
The Stribling and Tonges injuries are unfortunate, but the Niners have been here before, and everyone on the roster has to be ready to step in and contribute.
So these undrafted rookies may play a bigger role than many would have anticipated.
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