NFL Insider Shares New De’Zhaun Stribling Update After Ankle Injury

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 11: De'Zhaun Stribling #7 of the San Francisco 49ers is attended to by trainers after an injury in the second quarter of the NFL football game against Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 11, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The San Francisco 49ers picked up a huge win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL’s Opening Weekend.

However, that critical win came with some roster casualties as well, and one of the players who went down was rookie wideout De’Zhaun Stribling.

The Niners standout receiver from training camp suffered an ankle injury in the team’s first game and is having to get surgery.

After the initial recovery timeline points to a 10-week absence for Stribling, an NFL insider recently jumped into the conversation to note it could be longer.

NFL Insider Ian Rapoport Shares Latest on De’Zhaun Stribling

NFL Insider Ian Rapoport shared the latest on De’Zhaun Stribling in a recent appearance on Good Morning Football.

Rapoport puts the recovery timeline for Stribling at 10-12 weeks, which means he could return in late November or early December.

Either way, Stribling will be sidelined for at least two months, and with that 10- 12-week timeline, it sounds more like 2.5 months for Stribling until he returns to the fold for the 49ers.

ESPN reporter Nick Wagoner relayed what Kyle Shanahan said about the Stribling ankle injury:

“We feel good he’ll get back this season,” said Shanahan. “It’ll take some time.”

“Stribling sprained the deltoid ligament in his left ankle, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He sought multiple opinions to potentially rest the ankle and come back to play but ultimately decided on surgery.”

More on De’Zhaun Stribling….

No doubt it’s a tough injury to have to suffer in your rookie season for De’Zhaun Stribling, but the 49ers offense did look very nice in their win against the Los Angeles Rams.

Now that started with lead pass catcher Mike Evans, but Week 2 and beyond is where judgments can be made about Stribling’s impact being sidelined, and how that affects the way other teams decide to guard Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel.

With that being said, Stribling was supposed to be a featured option for QB Brock Purdy, and that idea has been stripped away not even two weeks into the season.