Kyle Shanahan’s decision in the San Francisco 49ers’ preseason finale said plenty about where De’Zhaun Stribling stands heading into the regular season.
Before the matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, Stribling was ruled out after turning in two eye-catching preseason performances. In those games, the rookie caught 11 passes for 109 yards, and that burst of production helped push him into a different category from the rest of the roster.
The 49ers sat out nearly all of their starters in the finale, and Stribling was part of that group. That absence made the message hard to miss: Shanahan no longer needs another look to know what he has in the young receiver. Even after previously downplaying Stribling’s summer work, the rookie’s play appears to have forced the issue.
The wide receiver room has already taken hits, and Brock Purdy is heading into the season without a couple of weapons. Shanahan had been cautious about laying out a path for the rookie, especially with his well-known preference for experience over youth. He made that point himself when discussing Ricky Pearsall’s season-ending injury, noting how Pearsall and others would have given him a chance to ease Stribling into a bigger role.
That slow-play approach no longer seems to be in the cards. Stribling now looks set to be one of the main pieces of Shanahan’s offense from the start, and it would not be a surprise if he becomes one of Purdy’s trusted targets quickly. With his size, speed, and strong hands, he has the kind of skill set that is difficult to keep off the field.
For Stribling, the preseason finale was not about missing out. It was proof that he had already done enough to earn the night off.
Now he turns to Week 1 of the regular season, when the 49ers travel to Australia to face the Super Bowl favorite Los Angeles Rams. It will be a difficult opener, and Stribling and the rest of the passing game will need to show up if they want to match their division rival.
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