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Everything was perfect from Week 1in Australia for the San Francisco 49ers after they demolished the Los Angeles Rams.
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However, there was one glaring downside to the 49ers’ victory, and that was rookie De’Zhaun Stribling’s injury. He suffered an ankle injury that knocked him out of the game.
The injury is set to hold him out for at least a month. It’s brutal for Stribling and the 49ers. That said, here are three players impacted the most by it.
Brock Purdy
As the 49ers’ starting quarterback, it only makes sense that Brock Purdy is the first player impacted by Stribling’s absence. He loses a promising weapon.
The rapport that they built during training camp was strong, despite Stribling missing a bit of time due to injury. Purdy was high on Stribling for his skills, intellect, and maturity.
And while the two never connected once in Week 1 against the Rams, it’s still a stinging loss. Purdy and Stribling are supposed to be a duo for the foreseeable future.
The preseason Stribling had made him such an exciting player to watch, and that was without Purdy throwing to him. Purdy loses a potential big-play weapon with Stribling out.
Deebo Samuel
Thankfully, Deebo Samuel is looking fresher than ever because the 49ers are going to test his conditioning with Stribling out. His snaps and usage will increase moving forward.
It seemed like he was going to take turns as the No. 2 wide receiver in the 49ers’ offense with Stribling. On one drive, it would be Stribling as the No. 2, while Samuel would be the No. 3.
Another drive, it could be Samuel as the No. 2, while Stribling is the No. 3. That way, defenses would suffer for keying in on any one of them for that series.
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But now that Stribling is hurt, Samuel is the certified No. 2 without question. His role will increase and be cemented as a heavily featured/utilized player.
The good news is he’s done that before, so he won’t feel out of place doing it. But it will be telling whether he can handle it and still be effective as the season progresses.
Demarcus Robinson
Another wide receiver who will see an increase in his workload is veteran Demarcus Robinson. That might’ve started in the middle of the game against the Rams when he scored a touchdown.
Maybe that play call would’ve been designed for Stribling had he been healthy. One of the reasons the 49ers drafted Stribling was his ability to run vertical routes.
He easily could’ve run that and been the designated player, especially since he was being used as a decoy for all of his routes prior.
In any case, Robinson can be the 49ers’ vertical threat. He’s always had that in his bag, and he proved it on that beautiful deep touchdown. He’ll just need to adapt to an increase in snaps.
Today’s best reads
- 49ers Rookie De’Zhaun Stribling has Raised the Expecations for Himself
- 5 Bold Predictions for 49ers’ 2026 Season
- 49ers Training Staff Bears Responsibilty for De’Zhaun Stribling’s Injury
- Grading the 49ers After Their 27-7 Win Over the Rams in Australia
- 5 49ers Most Likely to Be Traded in 2026
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as 3 49ers Impacted the Most By De’Zhaun Stribling’s Injury.
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM.