San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters ahead of Wednesday's practice as the team prepares for its Week 2 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
The 49ers will place rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling on injured reserve after he suffered an ankle injury in the team's Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Shanahan provided further clarification Wednesday regarding the injury and Stribling's expected recovery timeline.
RELATED Report: 49ers placing rookie De'Zhaun Stribling on injured reserve
Shanahan said Stribling underwent ankle surgery today and confirmed he will land on injured reserve.
When asked how much time Stribling is expected to miss, Shanahan said, "Not exactly sure, but it's going to be some time. Close to 10 weeks ... We feel good he'll get back this season. It'll take some time."
Stribling suffered the injury in the first half against the Rams. The rookie initially exited in the first quarter with an ankle injury but returned. However, Stribling had to leave again in the second quarter and did not return, prompting some criticism of the decision to keep the receiver in the game.
"We don't have X-rays and MRIs on the sidelines, and they take a while," Shanahan explained. "So, when a guy comes off—Stribling did it and played a number of plays before even saying anything. We didn't know which play it was on. It was actually on a bootleg that I think we hit [TE] Luke [Farrell] on, and somebody hit him at the end of the play that no one even knew about. And he fell on his ankle and got up and walked off. But he was hobbling a little bit, like all of us have rolled our ankle and stuff, and you play through an ankle. When you find out it's a high ankle, usually you find out you can't play.
"So, that's what we thought, and then they go through the whole protocol of it, have him run up and down the sidelines, they test everything. I get on the headsets, 'Hey, he's out for a little bit. We're testing him. His Achilles is intact. We've seen it's not a high ankle sprain. He's running. We're going to let him go back in.'
"And then he goes back in and does a turn that you don't replicate on the sideline, and then you find out it's worse than that."
Shanahan was asked about Stribling's emotional state after the game.
"I think he was down," the coach said. "He was hoping that it wouldn't be as bad as it was. He had such a good week of practice, had such a good training camp. I know he was just down. But it'll pass. He'll be back, and he'll be good to go when he gets back."
The rookie wideout played 21 offensive snaps against the Rams but was not targeted. He was one of the standouts throughout training camp and the preseason and was expected to take on a larger role on offense with Ricky Pearsall out for the season.
"It's fortunate that he's not gone for the year like Ricky," Shanahan added while expressing confidence in the 49ers' remaining receivers. "We will get him back, but we have the people to still hold it down while he's gone."
Stribling caught 11 passes for 109 yards in two preseason games and appeared poised to make an immediate impact as a contributor to the 49ers' offense.
Jake Tonges out for the season
Shanahan also provided an update on tight end Jake Tonges, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday after suffering an MCL injury in Week 1. Tonges underwent surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
Last season, Tonges recorded 34 receptions for 293 yards and five touchdowns, earning a two-year, $8 million contract from the 49ers during the offseason.
Mentioned in this article: Luke Farrell, Ricky Pearsall, De'Zhaun Stribling, Jake Tonges
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