San Francisco 49ers second-round rookie De'Zhaun Stribling made his regular-season NFL debut Thursday against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia. But midway through the second quarter, he went down with what was his second — and by far worse — injury of the game. Running a deep route against a Rams defender across the middle of the field, Stribling pushed off and immediately pulled up with a non-contact injury to his lower left leg.
He started limping right away and had to be helped off the field, heading to the blue medical tent before eventually being carted into the locker room. He'd already come up limping earlier in the game with an ankle injury, but this second injury appeared far more serious — a non-contact injury in the calf or Achilles area. A calf strain could mean several weeks on the sideline, while a full Achilles tear — by far the worst-case outcome — would end his rookie season entirely.
Chao took to X shortly after and said he's hopeful Stribling can avoid an Achilles tear, but that possibility is clearly on everyone's mind right now. More news: Vikings’ Latest QB Move Reveals Where JJ McCarthy Really Stands Stribling entered Thursday's game with a ton of hype. After injuries to Ricky Pearsall, Christian Kirk and others opened the door, Stribling made the most of his opportunity in the preseason, hauling in 11 of 13 targets for 109 yards across two games.
He was expected to line up alongside Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel to start the year, giving him a real shot at meaningful targets right away. While Brock Purdy didn't look his way much in the season opener against the Rams, Stribling was on the field a lot — a good sign for his role going forward. More news: Rams Defender Had to Take Pay Cut Because of Aaron Donald More news: Patrick Mahomes’ Week 1 Return Raises ‘Significant Concerns’ for Ex-NFL QB There's still a chance he could grow into a high-volume role as the season progresses.
But if this injury turns out to be a torn Achilles, it would bring a brutal end to what was shaping up to be a promising rookie year in San Francisco.
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