What Placing De'Zhaun Stribling on Injured Reserve Means for 49ers

An alarming trend is occurring.

August 13, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver De'zhaun Stribling (15) is tackled by Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor (24) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As expected, the San Francisco 49ers are placing rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling on Injured Reserve, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Stribling suffered a deltoid ligament sprain in his ankle during the Week 1 win against the Rams in Australia. It was a non-contact injury while running a route cutting across the middle of the field.

Initially, it looked like the worst-case scenario (a torn Achilles tendon). Anytime a player can't put any weight on their foot like that, you immediately fear the worst.

Thankfully, Stribling didn't suffer a season-ending injury. However, Kyle Shanahan revealed on Wednesday that Stribling underwent surgery on his ankle.

He's expected to miss roughly 10 weeks. What was supposed to be a promising rookie season will now be cut down to a limited showing, assuming he successfully recovers.

Now that Stribling is placed on Injured Reserve, it means that the 49ers have an alarming trend. That trend is not having any contributions from their last three first-round picks.

Ricky Pearsall is out for the year after having surgery to fix his PCL that hampered him throughout the 2025 season. Mykel Williams is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last year.

Who knows when he will be back. And now, Stribling is out for at least the next 10 weeks, but there's a chance he could be out for longer.

This is a bit of a scary situation. The 49ers could end up having their last three first-round picks miss a season due to needing surgery for an injury.

You can't make this up. It would only happen to the 49ers. For now, Stribling and the 49ers will have their fingers crossed that he will be good to go in 10 weeks.

It seems maybe the 49ers have learned with Pearsall that getting the surgery immediately instead of putting it off is the best course of action.

Only time will tell. In the meantime, Deebo Samuel and Demarcus Robinson will pick up the slack with Stribling out for the next four games or more.

It's just a bummer, as the 49ers were high on Stribling contributing this season. The excitement to see him perform increased after his preseason showcase.

Whatever ends up happening, the 49ers must not rush him back. Even if it takes him more than 10 weeks, so be it. Protecting him is the top priority to avoid further injury.

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