Deebo was limited within 49ers practice, which is a good sign.
On Wednesday, Samuel was only supposed to do conditioning and physical therapy at the 49ers’ workout facility. On Thursday afternoon, he was supposed to practice but be limited.
After practice, Samuel hurt his left shoulder, but coach Kyle Shanahan wouldn’t say anything specific about it when he talked with the media.
But 49ers head coach John Lynch seemed hopeful that Samuel would be able to play in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium against the Detroit Lions.
Samuel hurt his shoulder and had to leave the 49ers’ win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional playoff round.
He had only played nine snaps. According to Shanahan, tests showed that Samuel’s shoulder was not broken.
“Things are changing all the time,” Lynch said. The NFC Championship is at stake, though. This I can promise you: Deebo will do everything he can. By the end, he’ll want to play. Do we let him go? Are we okay with that? We’d love to have him.
“I believe this week still has a lot more time left. We’re a better team with him on the field, so he’ll do everything he can to get him there.
Samuel is a key part of the 49ers’ offense because he can catch passes, run, and block. He caught 60 passes, gained 892 yards, and scored seven touchdowns. He also ran for 225 yards and scored a total of five touchdowns on 37 attempts.
Thursday, Deebo Samuel, a receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, took another step toward playing in the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit on Sunday. The Niners had a little more pep in their step when Samuel came back.
Samuel missed practice on Wednesday because of an injury to his left shoulder he got in last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers. He was limited in his participation in Thursday’s session.
That’s a big deal because the 49ers always have the hardest practice on Thursday. Chris McCaffrey, a running back, said, “It’s awesome.” “Anytime he’s on the road, he brings a second bottle of juice which is hard to replicate without him.”
Samuel did what he normally does during the part of practice that was open to the media. He stretched and then caught passes to Niners quarterback Brooks Purdy during drills for receivers and running backs.
People who were there couldn’t tell if he was in pain or not. Just being around him gives people energy, which gets them going and makes them feel good about themselves. We’re thrilled to have Deebo there. It looks great on him.
Deepo is always great, said tight end George Kittle. “I’m just glad he’s out there.” He’s such an important part of the offense as well as everything we do.
Samuel hurt himself while trying to get extra yards after a catch with 5:35 left in the first quarter of the previous week’s divisional-round victory. This was the latest sign that he was getting better.
After the game, Samuel stayed on the floor while NFL medical staff raced to help him. After the spotters within the booth called for help, he was first checked for a concussion but was soon cleared.
He came back to the game for a short time before going to the changing area right before halftime.
At the start of the third quarter, he was ruled out. Aiyuk, a fellow receiver and close friend of Samuel, said that he thinks Samuel will play against the Detroit Lions.
On Sunday and Monday, more tests on Samuel’s shoulder showed that he did not have a scalp fracture. This gave fans hope that he might be able to return to action this week if the pain got better.
When Samuel got hurt against the Browns of Cleveland in Week 6, he missed almost three full games. During that time, the 49ers went 0-3 and Samuel missed all of them. He came back for the game against the Jaguars in Jacksonville in Week 10.
Samuel is an important part of the Niners’ offense. This season, the offense averaged 7.1 yards every play with him on the field and 5.7 yards per play without him.
“That’s right,” Aiyuk replied. “But just keep asking him that he may become better in the week and prove traveling with us to complete the job.”