By admin 
The injury bug apparently isn’t done chewing away at the San Francisco 49ers. This summer, it has claimed wide receiver Christian Kirk and defensive end Sam Okuayinonu, both of whom will miss at least the first four games of this season, and it recently dealt starting defensive tackle Alfred Collins a season-ending knee injury.
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On Thursday, as the Niners were beating down the seemingly endowed Los Angeles Rams 27-7, rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling was forced to exit the game with a leg injury. He had previously tweaked his ankle earlier in the contest, but the second time he got hurt, he pulled up lame with what looked like a non-contact injury and was carted off the field.
Some feared the worst-case scenario — a torn Achilles.
A torn Achilles was apparently ruled out
Luckily, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan, Stribling’s Achilles was intact, which means it wasn’t what got injured, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Shanahan said that the standout rookie has an ankle injury, but that the team isn’t sure how serious it is, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
Stribling didn’t make a single catch in Thursday’s game, but he did look very impressive during the preseason with 109 receiving yards on 11 catches. Last season, while at the University of Mississippi, he logged 55 receptions, 811 yards and six touchdowns while helping the school defeat the University of Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
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If he has to miss some games, the Niners do have other weapons in their passing game, such as Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel Sr. and Demarcus Robinson, all of whom played well on Thursday. Of course, star running back Christian McCaffrey can also masquerade as a wide receiver when needed.
The Niners will soon return to California and will not play again until they host the Miami Dolphins next Sunday, Sept. 20. If Stribling’s injury is relatively minor, perhaps that will give him enough time to recover and attempt to play in Week 2.
But given the team’s lack of injury luck the last couple of years, fans may not be holding their breath for that type of fortunate outcome.
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This story was originally published September 10, 2026 at 10:43 PM.