San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan explained Wednesday why rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling returned to the team's Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams after initially injuring his left ankle. Stribling later aggravated the injury and underwent surgery Wednesday, with Shanahan saying the rookie could miss close to 10 weeks.

Popular 49ers fan account Coach Yac took to X, formerly Twitter, sharing a clip credited to the organization in which Shanahan detailed the sideline evaluation that preceded Stribling's return.

“We don’t have X-rays and MRIs on the sidelines. Stribling did it and played a number of plays before even saying anything… They go through the whole protocol of having him run up and down the sideline, they test everything. I get a “he’s out for a little bit, we’re testing him”. His Achilles is intact. We see it’s not a high ankle sprain. He’s running and we’re gonna let him go back in. Then he goes back in and does a turn that you don’t replicate on the sideline and you find out it’s worse than that.”

Kyle Shanahan on De'Zhaun Stribling going back into the game after he was hobbling off the field earlier in the game:

“We don’t have X-rays and MRIs on the sidelines. Stribling did it and played a number of plays before even saying anything… They go through the whole protocol… pic.twitter.com/CI2qcu3KEa

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) September 16, 2026

Stribling initially injured his left ankle late in the first quarter of the 49ers’ season-opening 27-7 win vs. the Rams at Melbourne Cricket Ground. After clearing sideline tests and returning, he went down again while making a non-contact cut in the second quarter. He played 21 offensive snaps without recording a target.

Tests revealed a deltoid ligament sprain. The 49ers will place him on injured reserve for at least four games.

The 49ers selected the 6-foot-2, 207-pound Ole Miss product No. 33 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. He ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

His absence weakens the 49ers’ depth after tight end Jake Tonges suffered a season-ending MCL injury against the Rams. Stribling expects to return later this season.