San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling exited Thursday night’s 27-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, due to a left ankle injury. The second-round draft pick pulled up on a non-contact play during the second quarter and was carted to the locker room after earlier returning from a preliminary ankle scare.
The San Francisco 49ers opened their regular season with a historic 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday night in Melbourne, Australia. Yet the team’s victory was overshadowed by health concerns, notably involving rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling and tight end Jake Tonges.
De’Zhaun Stribling Exits Melbourne Opener With Non-Contact Ankle Injury
Stribling made his regular-season NFL debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, carrying significant preseason momentum into the matchup. Stribling tweaked his left ankle earlier in the contest before returning to action midway through the second quarter. With 7:16 remaining in the first half, Stribling pulled up while running a route. He could not put any weight on his left leg and needed help to get to the sideline medical tent. Eventually, Stribling was carted to the X-ray room.
Medical personnel attended to the rookie before he was helped to the sideline. He was subsequently carted back to the locker room, and the team officially ruled him out with an ankle injury before halftime.
Preseason Rise and Roster Expectations for the Rookie Receiver
San Francisco entered Thursday’s historic opener in Melbourne with real optimism at wide receiver. Rookie De’Zhaun Stribling had turned heads all preseason, catching 11 passes for 109 yards across his first two exhibition games. The 49ers used a second-round pick on Stribling back in April, and Mike Evans had already praised him as a natural pro during training camp. Thursday looked like the perfect stage for him to carry that momentum into his first regular-season snaps. Instead, San Francisco’s night included two separate injury scares tied to their promising rookie. Stribling was the team’s top draft pick and was expected to contribute early after standing out during training camp and the preseason.
After suffering an injury in the first quarter and returning to action, 49ers wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling went down on a minimal-contact play. He had to be helped off the field and put no weight on his left leg on his way to the blue medical tent. He was eventually carted back to the locker room. If Stribling can’t go, they’ll have to run with Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing and KhaDarel Hodge for the rest of the game.
Jake Tonges Knee Injury Compounds Offense’s Health Woes
Stribling was not the only offensive player to exit Thursday’s game prematurely. Tight end Jake Tonges needed help off the field with 2 minutes left in the first half. He could not put any weight on his right leg. One of them is tight end Jake Tonges, who went down hurt in the second quarter. He had to be helped off the field. He later had to be carted into the locker room with a knee injury, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Tonges is questionable to return to the game at the time of this writing, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
This is tough news for the 49ers, who will have to rely more on George Kittle for their tight end needs while Tonges is out. San Francisco had quite a saga with Kittle.
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