49ers receiver Deebo Samuel ‘has a shot’ to play in season opener
49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel might make his return from a broken foot sooner than anticipated.
San Francisco’s top receiver, who missed all of training camp with a Jones fracture in his left foot, could return to practice on Wednesday after missing all of training camp and play Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, general manager John Lynch said.
“He does have a shot,” Lynch said.
Lynch said the 49ers medical staff on Tuesday will have a “summit” with the Dr. Robert Anderson who performed surgery on Samuel back in June to go over the most recent scans of the foot to determine the best course of action. Samuel throughout training camp was seen doing sprints, cutting and other conditioning drills while his teammates practiced.
Initial reports indicated Samuel would miss 12 to 16 weeks, but the season opener is 10 weeks from his surgery.
“I’m a huge believer that when you get injured and you’re already in great shape, you tend to heal quicker,” Lynch said. “Deebo has continued that tremendous work ethic and has remained very positive and upbeat and resolute in his want to be back on the field right away. And that goes a long way.”
Samuel set a franchise rookie record with 961 yards from scrimmage during the 2019 regular season. His 802 receiving yards trailed only Jerry Rice’s first-year mark of of 927 in 1985.
The second round pick from South Carolina averaged 11.4 yards on rushing attempts adding a unique dynamic to head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Samuel’s 53 rushing yards against the Chiefs were the most by a receiver in Super Bowl history.
Samuel’s return would be a sight for sore eyes for the 49ers, who dealt with a slew of injuries to wideouts throughout August. Recent first-round pick, Brandon Aiyuk, tweaked his hamstring and is also uncertain for next Sunday’s opener. Second-year pro Jalen Hurd was lost early in training camp with a torn ACL after missing all of last season with a stress fracture in his lower back.
The good news: slot receiver Trent Taylor appears to be healthy after missing last season due to a series of complications surrounding a Jones fracture that required four follow up procedures because he dealt with an infection. Samuel and Aiyuk figure to be the top two options at receiver, while Taylor, Kendrick Bourne, Dante Pettis and Richie James Jr. fill out the group. James appears slated for return duties after missing most of camp with a fractured right wrist he also suffered in June.
Garland, Juszczyk injury updates
There was a notable development surrounding the center position when the 49ers made their final cuts on Saturday. The team kept center Hroniss Grasu, who wound up on the practice squad, indicating there’s a chance presumptive starter Ben Garland would be healthy for Week 1 after spraining an ankle early in training camp. Garland is the team’s top center while starter Weston Richburg remains on the physically unable to perform list after tearing his right patellar tendon in December.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who tweaked his hamstring last month and hadn’t returned to practice, could also be back on the field this week. Lynch indicated in his conference call on Sunday that both players were rehabbing at the facility and have a chance to practice on Wednesday when the team submits its first official injury report of the season.
“(We’re) hopeful,” Lynch said. “They’re out here as we speak training and working really hard. Those guys are all working and have a chance so we’ll see where it goes.”
If Garland can’t play, the team could elevate Grasu to the active roster from the practice squad as new rules allow up to two players to get promoted from the practice squad to the active roster each week. The team could do the same thing with backup fullback Josh Hokit, an undrafted rookie who didn’t make the team but landed on the practice squad, in case Juszczyk can’t go.
This story was originally published September 6, 2020 at 12:14 PM.
