NFL Player News

Stribling will have the opportunity to earn an expanded role in the 49ers' offense after Ricky Pearsall (knee) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.

Pearsall was held out of training camp practices earlier this week due to a PCL injury in his right knee, which has been deemed severe enough for the third-year wideout to undergo season-ending surgery. The Niners signed veteran Deebo Samuel to a one-year contract Friday, but both Stribling and Demarcus Robinson will have an opportunity to compete for an expanded role in the offense alongside Mike Evans and Christian Kirk (calf). Stribling was a second-round selection of the 49ers in the 2026 NFL Draft following his final college season at Ole Miss, when he logged 55 catches for 811 yards and six touchdowns across 15 games.

Pearsall was placed on injured reserve Saturday and will undergo season-ending PCL surgery on his right knee, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Pearsall was held out of the early portions of training camp due to knee swelling, and the injury had reportedly caused some concern for the 49ers. After undergoing further tests, season-ending surgery has been determined as the best move for Pearsall, and the procedure comes with a 6-to-12 month recovery timetable, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. It's a significant blow for the Florida product, who has played in just 20 regular-season games since being selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Deebo Samuel was signed by the Niners on Friday due to injuries to Pearsall and Christian Kirk (calf), and Demarcus Robinson and rookie second-rounder De'Zhaun Stribling are both slated for more opportunities on offense alongside WR1 Mike Evans.

Allen was carted off the field during Saturday's training camp practice due to an apparent left knee injury, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.

It appeared as though Allen sustained the knee injury on a special teams punt rep, when he collided with corner Kaiir Elam. Allen initially limped off the field with the help of trainers before being carted to the medical tent, where he'll undergo further tests to evaluate the severity of the injury. Allen was a fifth-round pick of the 2026 NFL Draft and has demonstrated early rapport with quarterback Patrick Mahomes through the early stages of training camp.

Walthall (undisclosed) reverted to the Jets' injured reserve Friday after clearing waivers, per the NFL's transaction report.

Now that he's on injured reserve, Walthall will be forced to miss the entire 2026 season unless he reaches an injury settlement with the Jets. Walthall joined the Jets on June 8 after being let go by the Texans four days prior. He spent the last two years of his college career with Incarnate Word but did not hear his name called during the 2026 NFL Draft.

Green Bay waived Rice (undisclosed) from its NFI list with a non-football injury designation Friday.

Rice was claimed off waivers by the Packers back in May, but he's now on track for free agency unless he's scooped up by a different club during the current waiver period. His last regular-season action came with the Chargers back in 2024, when he logged three offensive snaps over three games.

The 49ers signed Irwin to a one-year contract Friday.

Both Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Christian Kirk (calf) are dealing with injuries, so the addition of Irwin gives the 49ers some added depth at wide receiver for training camp. Irwin spent the majority of the 2025 season on the Jets' practice squad after failing to make the Jaguars' 53-man roster at the end of training camp, and he's considered a longshot to crack San Francisco's roster for the 2026 campaign. He last saw regular-season action in 2024 with the Bengals, when he logged three catches (on 10 targets) for 15 yards across seven games.

The Jets waived Scott (undisclosed) with an injury designation Friday.

Unless Scott gets claimed by another team during the current waiver period, he's now on track to spend the entire season on the Jets' injured reserve list. In a corresponding transaction, the Jets signed wide receiver Cam Camper.

Olave took part in the first session of 11-on-11 team drills during Friday's training camp practice, Ross Jackson of LouisianaSports.net reports.

Olave inked a four-year extension worth up to $132 million with the Saints on Thursday, providing sufficient motivation for the 2022 first-rounder to get in his first full-team reps of training camp. Treatment related to a blood clot kept Olave from taking part in team drills during spring activities, but the star wideout seems to be fully healthy in advance of the 2026 regular season. Olave will look to build on the career year he logged in 2025 as he now heads into Year 2 with quarterback Tyler Shough under center.

After the connection between Brown and QB Drake Maye got off to a slow start in training camp, Paul Perillo of the Patriots' official site notes that "there have been some serious signs of life since the pads came on Thursday morning."

With that in mind, Maye said Friday,"I feel the connectivity building now," adding "that's the biggest thing. You are just seeing it get better every day." As the two players' chemistry continues to grow while Brown acclimates to his new team's offense, the wideout is firmly on track to yield fantasy utility as New England's top option at his position alongside fellow newcomer Romeo Doubs, with Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism battling for targets that don't go to the aforementioned duo.

San Francisco assistant head coach Chris Foerster said Friday that the team is "continuing to evaluate" Pearsall (knee) after the wide receiver aggravated the PCL issue in his right knee during early training camp practices, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Pearsall's injury has reportedly caused "concern" for the 49ers, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN, and the team is "exploring all options." As Barrows reports, surgery is being weighed among those options, though undergoing a procedure now could cost Pearsall the entire 2026 season. In the wake of Pearsall's ongoing evaluation, San Francisco signed veteran wideout Deebo Samuel to a one-year contract Tuesday. Christian Kirk (calf) is also managing an injury that has hampered his ability to practice during the early stages of camp.