Maybe Deebo Samuel will be ready for 49ers in Week 1 after all
By Scott Rogust
San Francisco finally gets a break on the wide receiver front
The reigning NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers‘ strong offseason has been clouded by their wide receiver corps being pummeled by countless injuries.
That all started back in June, after top wideout Deebo Samuel suffered a fractured foot while practicing with his teammates in Nashville, Tenn. A couple of weeks ago, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he’s “not counting” on Samuel being ready for San Francisco’s season opener against the Arizona Cardinals. Maybe it’s time for Shanahan to start counting on Samuel.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports that the second-year receiver had an “intense workout” during 49ers practice on Wednesday. Samuel was spotted sprinting and working on change-of-direction drills on a side field.
Make no mistake about it, Samuel is pushing to get clearance for Week 1 for the upcoming NFL season.
Intriguing sight in today's practice: Deebo Samuel (foot) sprinting -- hard -- on a side field. He had his most intense workout thus far with change-of-direction exercises, etc. He's pushing to be ready on Sept. 13.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) August 26, 2020
At their current state, the 49ers desperately need Samuel on the field
When it comes to the state of San Francisco’s wide receiver corps, Samuel was the first domino to fall. One day after the announcement of Samuel suffering a Jones fracture, Richie James broke his right wrist.
Last week, Jalen Hurd tore his ACL during practice, officially putting him on the sidelines for two full seasons. Finally, 2020 first-round selection Brandon Aiyuk was diagnosed with a mild hamstring strain on Tuesday.
In response to such injuries, the 49ers have signed Tavon Austin, JJ Nelson and Jaron Brown. Meanwhile, the 49ers hosted a variety of receivers for workouts, which included Kevin White, Justin Hardy, River Carcraft and Johnny Holton.
More. 5 reasons the 49ers can win the Super Bowl this year. light
High expectations were placed on Samuel this offseason. The 49ers allowed veteran Emmanuel Sanders to sign with the New Orleans Saints because they had so much confidence in Samuel’s ability to lead their receiving corps for years to come, starting in 2020.
If Wednesday’s news proves anything, it’s that Samuel has the fuel and desire to ensure he can be ready to play for his team and to help them make a return trip to the Super Bowl.