{"id":6586,"date":"2026-08-09T21:06:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T21:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586"},"modified":"2026-08-09T21:06:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T21:06:23","slug":"kurtenbach-shanahans-doghouse-might-not-be-big-enough-to-contain-rookie-dezhaun-stribling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586","title":{"rendered":"Kurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

SANTA CLARA \u2014 The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver room might as well be the infirmary.<\/p>\n

Read more Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and \u2018We Believe\u2019 teams<\/a><\/p>\n

With Mike Evans, Christian Kirk, and Jacob Cowing nursing ailments on the sideline, and with Ricky Pearsall already out for the season, what might have been the deepest position on the team coming into training camp is suddenly feeling more than a bit precarious.<\/p>\n

And it begs the question: With a month to go until the 49ers\u2019 season opener in Australia against the Rams, how can the Niners not play De\u2019Zhaun Stribling early and often?<\/p>\n

For years, Shanahan\u2019s offense has treated rookie wideouts with the warmth of a late-night telemarketer call.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Shanahan\u2019s doghouse for young players at the position has featured some impressive guests.<\/p>\n

Brandon Aiyuk famously spent his first two years in it.<\/p>\n

Deebo Samuel was in it until the Niners made a trade for veteran Emmanuel Sanders just so someone could teach him how to do things Kyle\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

Even Pearsall had a hard time breaking through and landing regular playing time in his rookie campaign, even after he healed from his gun-shot injury.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Yet here is Stribling, who appears to have every opportunity to defy the traditional Shanahan initiation ritual by making play after play so far in this summer.<\/p>\n

Sure, training camp always inflates the reputations of a receiver who can win a 50-50 ball against second-string cornerbacks. My preschool-aged daughter could watch Stribling snatch passes correctly conclude, \u201cHey, that guy\u2019s pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Shanahan\u2019s playbook demands far more than just jumping high and catching a football.<\/p>\n

It specifically demands violence in the run game, which is usually where young wideouts trip up.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

But tenacity is precisely why the Niners grabbed Stribling with the 33rd overall pick \u2014 defying the \u201cconsensus\u201d boards in the process.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson recalled watching Stribling at Ole Miss taking on the baddest man in college football last season, Miami defensive end Reuben Bain, in the Fiesta Bowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were asking him to cross-sift \u2014 lining up on one side of the ball, going across, and [blocking] the defensive end. I\u2019m not saying it always worked in his favor, but he did not turn it down,\u201d Hankerson said. \u201cWhen you see guys on tape who had 800 or 900 yards as a receiver stick their face in against top-five; first-round defensive ends, it speaks a lot about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps that they have a death wish.<\/p>\n

But again, that\u2019s the baseline mentality to be a Shanahan wideout.<\/p>\n

And in camp \u2014 to whatever degree you can judge these things \u2014 he\u2019s shown that same relentless edge, pairing an NFL-ready frame with a nose for contact and hands the size of trash-can lids.<\/p>\n

Wearing No. 15, he looks every bit like the spiritual successor to Jauan Jennings, the ultimate dirty-work wideout, albeit with far more physical gifts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI call him \u2018The Flying Hawaiian\u2019 because he\u2019s so fast,\u201d quarterback Mac Jones said earlier this week. \u201cSome guys, they can be really quick, but they\u2019re not as strong \u2014 he has both.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u2019 keeps record pace, \u2018The Odyssey\u2019 sets new high for Nolan<\/a><\/p>\n

And it shows up rep after rep, at least from the media\u2019s vantage point.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason the Niners quarterbacks keep throwing him the ball, and why when he\u2019s not in, the offense seems to sputter a bit.<\/p>\n

So, again, I ask: If Stribling is blocking like a tight end and snagging contested throws like a ten-year veteran, what exactly would keep him off the field as a rookie?<\/p>\n

Hankerson, when asked, couldn\u2019t offer a single valid reason.<\/p>\n

He just smiled, and spoke in platitudes about the process \u2014 getting better every day, that sort of thing \u2014 and moved on.<\/p>\n

The lack of an answer spoke volumes.<\/p>\n

And Stribling doesn\u2019t merely look like a bit player \u2014 the 49ers initially planned for him to play the flanker (slot) spot in three-receiver sets \u2014\u00a0but perhaps a steady option. The team\u2019s depleted depth chart is demanding an expanded menu.<\/p>\n

Sure, Evans \u2014 the team\u2019s undisputed No. 1 \u2014 will return to the mix. He\u2019s also battled a hamstring injury (he\u2019s currently battling a quad injury, so\u2026) in each of the last five seasons. Stribling is seeing plenty of work at \u201cX.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yes, the Niners brought in Deebo Samuel to play the Z, but while he\u2019s looking good in camp, he might be better used as a running back this season \u2014 those screen passes and quick slants are hitting like it\u2019s 2024 all over again, which is to say, they\u2019re not hitting. It\u2019s not a difficult transition to go from flanker to Z \u2014 both are off-ball.<\/p>\n

As for the competition: Kirk? Who knows what he is in this offense \u2014 we haven\u2019t seen it yet.<\/p>\n

Jordan Watkins, a second-year wideout, gets open plenty, but has multiple drops a practice.<\/p>\n

DeMarcus Robinson oscillates by the day from looking like a go-to veteran option to a guy on the cut line.<\/p>\n

And Cowing wasn\u2019t doing enough to solidify a roster spot before he picked up his injury.<\/p>\n

Of the available options today, Stribling has been the most consistently impressive. (Though, to be fair, there aren\u2019t many available options. )<\/p>\n

And, of course, there\u2019s still a full month of preseason remaining before the real show starts down under.<\/p>\n

Given this franchise\u2019s star-crossed injury luck, Stribling\u2019s once-injured hamstring could flare up tomorrow just from breathing the Santa Clara air.<\/p>\n

But when John Lynch and the Niners selected Stribling, it was panned by many as a \u201creach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four months later, that reach is starting to look like a necessary stroke of brilliance.<\/p>\n

Because while the Niners drafted Stribling for his long-term potential, he could well be needed early and often in the short-term. Patience is not a position the Niners can afford right now.<\/p>\n

Read more Stanford ditches Flock cameras, hires new license plate reader firm<\/a><\/p>\n

But patience doesn\u2019t appear to be something that Stribling needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

San Francisco 49ers: De’Zhaun Stribling’s strong camp and wide receiver injuries could defy standard Shanahan convention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nKurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"San Francisco 49ers: De'Zhaun Stribling's strong camp and wide receiver injuries could defy standard Shanahan convention.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-09T21:06:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Kurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-09T21:06:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586\"},\"wordCount\":1038,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/141a02721ba60a2b5ef2c2534c4b75cb-1-scaled.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586\",\"name\":\"Kurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/141a02721ba60a2b5ef2c2534c4b75cb-1-scaled.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-09T21:06:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/141a02721ba60a2b5ef2c2534c4b75cb-1-scaled.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/141a02721ba60a2b5ef2c2534c4b75cb-1-scaled.webp\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1858},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6586#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Kurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Kurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling - Next City Digest","og_description":"San Francisco 49ers: De'Zhaun Stribling's strong camp and wide receiver injuries could defy standard Shanahan convention.","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-08-09T21:06:23+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Kurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling","datePublished":"2026-08-09T21:06:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586"},"wordCount":1038,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/141a02721ba60a2b5ef2c2534c4b75cb-1-scaled.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586","name":"Kurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/141a02721ba60a2b5ef2c2534c4b75cb-1-scaled.webp","datePublished":"2026-08-09T21:06:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/141a02721ba60a2b5ef2c2534c4b75cb-1-scaled.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/141a02721ba60a2b5ef2c2534c4b75cb-1-scaled.webp","width":2560,"height":1858},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6586#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Kurtenbach: Shanahan’s doghouse might not be big enough to contain rookie De’Zhaun Stribling"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}