San Francisco 49ers wide receiver De'zhaun Stribling (15) catches the ball as Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (20) defends during an NFL preseason football game in Inglewood, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver De'zhaun Stribling (15) catches the ball as Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (20) defends during an NFL preseason football game in Inglewood, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is out for the season. And rookie wideout De’Zhaun Stribling is out for a month. At least.
Stribling, the San Francisco 49ers’ top pick in April’s draft, suffered a deltoid sprain in his left ankle in a season-opening 27-7 win over the Rams on Thursday that could require surgery, NFL Network reported. In a best-case scenario, Stribling will be sidelined for a minimum of one month.
Stribling, the No. 33 pick, was hurt after Pearsall, the No. 31 in pick in 2024, was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Aug. 1 with a lingering knee injury that he suffered in September 2025.
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Without their recent high-end draft picks, the 49ers’ top three wideouts are all 30 or older: Mike Evans, 33, Demarcus Robinson, 31, and Deebo Samuel, 30, who was signed this summer after Pearsall was placed on IR. In Week 1, Evans, Robinson and Samuel combined for 14 catches and 147 yards, and each had a touchdown reception.
On Thursday, Stribling reentered the game in the first half after he suffered an ankle injury and was ruled questionable to return. He didn’t return for long. Stribling collapsed after making a cut while running a route midway through the second quarter. He left the sideline on a cart after he didn’t place pressure on his left leg while leaving the field with assistance from trainers. Stribling spent about three minutes in the medical tent after he was initially hurt, according to the Netflix broadcast.
Sep 13, 2026
Eric Branch has covered the 49ers at the San Francisco Chronicle since 2011, when he arrived after covering the team in 2010 at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
A graduate of UCLA, he’s won nine national APSE awards in various divisions, including recognition in 2018 for a breaking-news story on the arrest of 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster. In 2024, he was named a finalist for the California Sportswriter of the Year award by the National Sports Media Association. In 2023, he received a first-place award in feature writing from the Pro Football Writers of America for a story on team pastor Earl Smith. Before covering the 49ers, he covered endless events, including archery tournaments and lawnmower races, while also working at the Logansport (Ind.) Pharos-Tribune, York (Pa.) Daily Record, Alexandria (La.) Town Talk and San Luis Obispo Tribune. He was included in the “Best American Sports Writing 2001,” under notable writing of that year, for a column on the joy and challenge of being a small-town sportswriter.
Musicians and their supporters march outside the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco in support of better wages for the San Francisco Opera Orchestra Saturday night. The musicians announced a strike shortly before their planned performance at 8 p.m. Saturday.