San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling will miss about 10 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair damage from the ankle injury he sustained in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.

The loss is significant for the 49ers' receiving corps. Stribling was part of a major offseason revamp of the unit and looked poised to play a meaningful role during his rookie season.


49ers general manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Thursday morning. He discussed what Stribling's extended absence means for the wide receiver group.

"It's kind of crushing," Lynch said. "De'Zhaun's been tremendous. You guys have all seen it, if you came out to training camp. He's one of our most consistent performers from the jump. He takes his craft incredibly seriously. He's smart, he's a great kid, and he's a really talented player. So to lose him in the first game, really tough.

"Foot and ankles, there's people who specialize in that, so we've got the best people there are. On the phone, including folks from our own medical staff, we came up with a plan on the best course of action. And unfortunately, he's going to miss some time.

"He will be back later this season, but he had to take care of that, and so that's a tough loss. There's no discount in it."

The injury comes after the 49ers lost projected starter Ricky Pearsall for the season. However, Lynch remains confident the team has enough talent in its receiving corps to stay competitive until Stribling returns.


"Fortunately, we're very deep at wide receiver, and we've seen the emergence of Demarcus Robinson, who has really stepped up his game," Lynch continued. "And now there's opportunity for guys like Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins and a host of others.

"We saw what Mike Evans can do. How cool was that to see him come out, and a quarter and a half through the game, he tied his record, I think, personally. He already had four third-down conversions. I think he ended up with five. We saw the fade in the end zone. Mike gives us another element."

Lynch acknowledged that the 49ers will feel the loss of both Stribling and Pearsall but believes the team's remaining playmakers can step into larger roles.

"Fortunately, like I said, we have a deep group, and now there's opportunity for other guys, who have a lot of talent, to step up, and that's exactly what they have to do, step up."



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