The San Francisco 49ers' injury luck couldn't have been worse coming into the season. It's a team that consistently has been among the worst in the NFL in adjusted games lost. Unfortunately, that trend is continuing in 2026.
De'Zhaun Stribling left the game early on, but shortly returned. When he did come back, Stribling was carted off the field. It was a non-contact injury in which Stribling couldn't put any pressure on his left leg. The 49ers immediately ruled him out, which is never a good sign.
Stribling played 21 snaps before he left with an injury. The 49ers relied on Jacob Cowing and Deebo Samuel in Stribling's absence. They'll likely use Demarcus Robinson more moving forward.
A wide receiver core that looked promising a month ago is now without two of its top three targets with Stribling's injury and Ricky Pearsall out for the season.
Tight end Jake Tonges was also carted off with a lower leg injury. He's questionable to return, but this does not seem like somebody who is coming back:

#stribling #left #couldn 't

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams met at Melbourne Cricket Ground at 8:35 p.m. PT on Thursday, and while Kyle Shanahan's team took an early 3-0 lead, they lost one of their rookies to injury.
Before the first quarter ended, The Athletic's Matt Barrows reported that wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling was in the blue medical tent. Then, the team announced at the end of the quarter that the wideout is dealing with an ankle injury and is questionable to return.
Stribling was San Francisco's top selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, following a collegiate career split between Washington State, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. He was a key piece of the offensive game plan during the preseason.
If the 23-year-old can't go, the 49ers will be left with Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing and KhaDarel Hodge at wide receiver for the rest of the game.
More 49ers: 49ers vs Rams live updates: Score, highlights, predictions, **** ysis

#team #wide #francisco

The San Francisco 49ers' first inactive list of the season is out. They'll lean into the veterans on the roster tonight, as every player on the inactive list is on a rookie contract:
QB Kurtis Rourke
CB Ephesians Prysock
RB Jordan James
WR Jordan Watkins
LB Tatum Bethune
OT Enrique Cruz
The 49ers having only two running backs active suggests Deebo Samuel will play a pivotal role out of the backfield. Expect him to be an option still in the passing game, but it likely comes from the running back alignment. If anybody knows how to take on a heavier workload against the Rams, it's Deebo.
It's also a sign that the team is comfortable giving Kaelon black touches. Kyle Shanahan said this past offseason that he regrets not involving more running backs last season. It means you're taking Christian McCaffrey off the field, so it's understandable. Still, the goal is to keep McCaffrey fresh for the last stretch of the season.
With Watkins inactive, Mike Evans, De'Zhaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, and KhaDarel Hodge are the wideouts. If Samuel's role is more underneath, we'll see whether that means Cowing has a role as the receiver who stretches the field for the offense.

#running #role #cowing

The San Francisco 49ers have a handful of players who'll be wearing new jersey numbers when they debut in the 2026 regular season. Three wide receivers including Jacob Cowing, De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson are all wearing numbers they didn't wear in the preseason per the Athletic's Matt Barrows.
Cowing has changed his number from 6 to 4 following the departure of quarterback Adrian Martinez who wore No. 4 during the preseason.
Stribling, who was in No. 15 during the preseason, has switched to No. 7 which was being worn by Demarcus Robinson. This is a bad beat for anyone who bought a Stribling jersey during his stellar preseason performance.
Robinson is now wearing No. 11, which belonged to Brandon Aiyuk before Aiyuk deserted the team and was placed on the reserve/left squad list.
While Aiyuk is technically still under contract with the 49ers, he's not on the roster so he isn't ******* igned a jersey number which freed up the No. 11 for Robinson. The last time Robinson wore No. 11 was from 2018-21 when he was with the Kansas City Chiefs.

#demarcus #number

The San Francisco 49ers were back on the practice fields at their SAP Performance Facility on Tuesday, but they were without one of their top players.
According to those on the scene, wide receiver Mike Evans didn't participate in Tuesday's session after dealing with a quad injury for most of camp and then leaving Sunday's practice after running a deep route. However, NBC Sports' Matt Maiocco reported that Evans is now dealing with a groin issue.
Evans can still be one of the most productive wide receivers in the league, especially in this offense, but injuries have held him back in recent years. Both the team and player hope that he will be full go once the regular season starts.
Brock Purdy's top wide receivers to target a practice are dwindling, as Christian Kirk and Jacob Cowing are also not participating. This leaves Purdy with Deebo Samuel, De'Zhaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Watkins as the top healthy options right now.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: New injury crops up for 49ers No. 1 wide receiver

#wide #receiver #dealing

The San Francisco 49ers traveled south to take on the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium just days after the two teams met for a joint practice session, and Kyle Shanahan's team walked away with a 41-17 victory.
With such a lopsided victory, the 49ers got some great performances from several players on Thursday. As we continue working our way through this game, let's take a look at who had the best nights.
San Francisco's second-round pick had a strong debut against the Tennessee ****** ans, and he continued that run against the Chargers. On Thursday, he caught four of his five targets for 45 yards and showed, once again, that quarterback Brock Purdy can trust him.
Despite all of the injuries at wide receiver throughout training camp, Cowing hasn't exactly taken advantage of the opportunity. However, on Thursday, he showed that he can be a difference-maker on special teams, as he took a punt back 83 yards for a touchdown in the first half. That one play may have helped him earn a roster spot for 2026.
Jones joined the 49ers this offseason, and he has been making plays throughout camp. After suffering a hand injury early against the ****** ans, he entered Thursday's game after Renardo Green went down with a hamstring. He played well again, recording one tackle and sticking in coverage to break up multiple passes.

#take #showed

One of the most exciting plays in Thursday night's preseason action was an 83-yard punt return touchdown from San Francisco's Jacob Cowing. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh was not happy that punter JK Scott let that happen.
Asked what went wrong on the return, Harbaugh made clear that Scott didn't land the punt where he was supposed to.
"The punt was short and in the middle, and then we got out-flanked," Harbaugh said.
Scott's attempt at tackling Cowing was so weak that Harbaugh was asked after the game if Scott had been instructed not to tackle, on the theory that maybe it's not worth a punter injuring himself in a preseason game. Harbaugh made clear that was not the case.
"No, he's got to have a plan when he's in that position to make the tackle. Something we need to work on, coach up," Harbaugh said.

#scott

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Jacob Cowing returned a punt for an 83-yard touchdown, Eddy Pineiro kicked a pair of field goals and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Chargers 41-18 on Thursday night in a preseason game.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy saw his first preseason action, going 4 of 6 for 29 yards in the first quarter.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert played the opening series in his first appearance of the preseason. He was 1 of 2, hitting Charlie Kolar with a 9-yard pass as the team went 3-and-out.
Battling for a roster spot at wide receiver, Cowing showed off his speed and agility after the Chargers went 3-and-out with three minutes left in the second quarter.
Chargers punter JK Scott kicked 52 yards to the 49ers' 17-yard line, where Cowing fielded the ball. He dashed to the left and ran in for the score, giving San Francisco a 17-3 lead.

#preseason #francisco #quarterback #quarter

The San Francisco 49ers list of injured players surged during Wednesday's practice when offensive lineman Nick Zakelj and defensive end Sam Okuayinonu both exited the session early with unknown ailments.
Zakelj and Okuayinonu joined DE Nick Bosa, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, OL Carver Willis, wide receiver Jacob Cowing, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, OL Brett Toth among the players who were new to the injury list before and during training camp Wednesday. That's on top of WR Mike Evans, WR Christian Kirk, WR De'Zhaun Stribling, RBs Kaelon Black and Jordan James, OL Vederian Lowe, DL Keion White and S Malik Mustapha all already sitting out practice with various injuries.
However, while the list of San Francisco's injured ballooned to 20 including the trio of players on the PUP list, ESPN's Nick Wagoner had a note that shows the injury situation might not be as bad as it looks on paper.
Wagoner posted a different sort of injury update in his daily practice recap on Twitter:
For the record, many of these guys, including Evans and Kirk did some work on the side, including some full speed running. Guerendo and Mustapha, in particular seem to be close to back. Greenlaw also seemed to be fine as he got a bit of a rest today with soreness. He watched practice from the defensive back field.

#list #including #zakelj

It's too early to panic about injuries plaguing the San Francisco 49ers but at some point there has to be a level of concern for their wide receiver room.
The Bang Bang Niner Gang is banged up.
The 49ers have now had five wideouts injured since the beginning of training camp.
The list grew having added third-year Jacob Cowing suffered a hip flexor strain and missed the Niners' practice on Aug. 5.
Cowing joins an injured list that includes veteran receiver Mike Evans (quad) and rookie De'Zhaun Stribling (hamstring), who are still not practicing.

#cowing #list #gang #niners

The San Francisco 49ers are signing KhaDarel Hodge, an undrafted free agent from the 2018 class. Hodge is another former Raheem Morris player. He spent the previous four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Hodge, 6'2″, 210 pounds, only registered three receptions in 2025 and seven in 2024. He had 14 catches in 2023 for 232 yards, and 13 for 202 in 2022.
Dodge lined up primarily on the outside with the Falcons. While he's likely nothing more than a camp body, that nugget is important as it would allow De'Zhaun Stribling, or maybe Deebo Samuel, or whichever player they want to focus on getting more slot reps.
It's going to be a critical couple of weeks for players like Jacob Cowing and Junior Bergen. Both are fighting for that final roster spot at wideout. They'll need to show they can win inside and outside. It shouldn't be ruled out that if both excel, Christian Kirk might be the odd man out, even if it's because of an injury. It also helps, in Cowing's case, that he has the upper hand at punt returner — for now, at least.
Demarcus Robinson has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the injuries at wide receiver. He went from "will he even make the roster" to potentially playing starter-level snaps. Funny how things change in a week.
We'll see if Hodge turns into anything more than relief during practice for the six or so receivers slated to make the roster.

#hodge #falcons #francisco

The San Francisco 49ers on Saturday officially announced the signing of wide receiver Deebo Samuel. In a corresponding move the 49ers placed WR Ricky Pearsall on season-ending IR as he deals with complications from the PCL injury he sustained last season.
Reports first surfaced Thursday of the reunion between the 49ers and their 2019 second-round pick one year after trading him to the Washington Commanders. Samuel had a visit with the 49ers on Friday according to the NFL's transaction wire. Now he's put pen to paper on a one-year contract that could pay him up to $7 million.
It appears based on wide receiver Jacob Cowing's switch from No. 19 to No. 6 that Samuel will be back in his original jersey number when he suits up for the red and gold.
As for his role? That remains to be seen as the team navigates the preseason.
The 49ers would ideally have Samuel work in as a third receiver behind veteran Mike Evans and rookie WR De'Zhaun Stribling who has drawn praise from Evans and quarterback Brock Purdy early in camp. If Stribling can get up to speed quickly enough to be the team's No. 2 WR, it paves the way for Samuel to fit in as a third WR where he can be deployed in ways that maximize his skill set.

#season