De'Zhaun Stribling's Injury Tests the 49ers’ Wide Receiver Depth

Can they get by without him?

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The San Francisco 49ers opened the season down under, beating the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 in Melbourne, Australia. 

The 49ers offense looked dynamic, finishing the game with 379 yards of total offense. This performance came without a second-round draft pick, De’Zhaun Stribling, who was ruled out early in the game with a deltoid ligament sprain.

The injury will hold him out for at least a month as he continues to evaluate treatment options.  

The 49ers will now look to replace Stribling’s production, as he was expected to have a large role in the offense in his rookie season.  

In Thursday's game, wide receivers Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel Sr. looked to replace his expected workload. 

Robinson finished with two receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown, with most of his yards coming on a 39-yard deep touchdown in the second quarter. Samuel also scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter with six receptions for 48 yards. 

Mike Evans looked like the unit's alpha, finishing with six receptions for 49 yards and multiple clutch third-down conversions, catching a touchdown on a fade route to begin the third quarter. 

The 49ers should continue to use this model to approach the wide receiver position by spreading out the usage while using them to their strengths.   

They shouldn’t fall in love with Evans early in the season by increasing his production. With his injury history, the goal should be getting him to the finish line and playoff-like situations.  The 49ers proved to do this last week. 

With Stribling out, Jordan Watkins, who didn’t play as a healthy scratch against the Rams, should see opportunities moving forward. 

This is Watkins second year in the system, and he has yet to get extended usage in the regular season, and the team will look for a fourth receiver. 

Watkins has shown his potential in the preseason. If given the opportunity, he’ll need to produce, putting him in a make-or-break stretch of games. 

Hypothetically, Watkins plays a similar role to Robinson. Running deep routes while also being a safe target in short routes and staying on the field for rushing downs by being a good blocker. 

Jacob Cowing may also get an opportunity to play in the slot in the role Stribling was slated to have, using his speed to run crossing routes that require yards after the catch. 

Cowing is a bit undersized, and it may be hard to have the same run blocking that Stribling was expected to have. 

Realistically, expect head coach Kyle Shanahan to rely on George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk and Christian McCaffrey in the pass game.  

McCaffrey is one of the team's best pass catchers, and Kittle, coming off an Achilles injury, should see his usage increase the more games he plays. 

This stretch of games can be a good opportunity to test the 49ers’ depth at wide receiver, beginning Sunday when they return home to face the Miami Dolphins at 1:25 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium.