Elite San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel’s Injury is Worse Than Originally Thought

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel suffered a calf strain in the week-two loss against the Minnesota Vikings.

Samuel was visibly injured and grimacing near the end of the game, but he came into play the last offensive snap. That last play gave 49ers faithful and fantasy owners alike hope that Samuel would be able to return next week.

San Fransico 49ers WR Deebo Samuel looked like he could return quickly

Samuel’s effort at the end of the 49ers’ week-two loss made some fans think his injury wasn’t severe enough for him to miss more than a week.

This appears to be the play where #49ers WR Deebo Samuel hurt his calf. He makes the short catch, is a bit slow to get up. Then is shown grimacing and favoring the leg as he goes to the sideline. He missed one play, returned and played the final offensive snap of the game. pic.twitter.com/EHsixWJMnm

— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) September 16, 2024

Another contributor to the perceived lack of severity regarding Samuel’s injuries was head coach Kyle Shanahan’s comments after the game or lack thereof. Shanahan said there were no injuries when addressing the media, causing some fans to think Samuel was in better shape than he is.

Fair, also was it just me or does that look like the hip drop tackle that the league is trying to ban? A bit hard to tell from this angle if all 4 factors that the league is looking at are there.

— Johnny truong (@jtruong082) September 17, 2024

It is possible that Shanahan was unaware of the injury due to how late it happened in the game. The 49ers or Samuel themselves may have been in the process of determining the severity at the time of Shanahan’s press conference.

In a subsequent media address, Shanahan explained how and when Samuel thinks the injury happened. In an article from the 49ers’ website, Shanahan said Samuel injured his calf near the end of the game.

“He (Samuel Sr.) told me he thinks he did it when he caught the third-to-last play,” Shanahan said. “They (Vikings defense) had a blitz down in the red zone. He caught the hot route breaking in. He says he thinks he did it on that play. I think there were only like two or three plays after that play though.”

 San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel revealed information about his rehab period

In a quote that coincides with reports from around the league, Samuel explained that he would be going through rehab for the next two weeks on a podcast.

One of the most boring shows I’ve ever watched, but we got this intel:

Deebo: “I’ll be rehabbing the next two weeks, but..”

Sounds like they’re planning on a potential week 5 return for Deebo Samuel if all goes well.
pic.twitter.com/bxyPVuOIf5

— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) September 18, 2024

The idea that Samuel would come back around week five correlates with reports from around the league. It means San Francisco will be without their star running back Christian McCaffrey as well as Samuel.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will have to get as much as he can out of his other star WR, Brandon Aiyuk, while utilizing role players that don’t often get opportunities in such a star-studded offense. If Purdy can have success without Samuel and McCaffrey, it may change the narrative around the league that he is carried by his weapons.

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