San Francisco 49ers wide receiver suffered a shoulder injury during his team’s Divisional Round playoff win over the Green Bay Packers last weekend, leaving his status for the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions up in the air.
Samuel did not practice on Wednesday, but 49ers general manager John Lynch has provided an encouraging update on the star pass-catcher.
“We’ve been encouraged by the early signs,” Lynch said, via David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. “We did the scans and all that. We got good news there. And then it’s kind of, ‘OK, what’s his pain? What’s his range of motion?’”
Lynch added that Samuel has been getting some work in to try and get back on the field.
“He did some work yesterday, off to the side. We’ll see if we can advance that today,” Lynch said. “So I think [it’s] very much a fluid situation. It’s the NFC Championship, though, and I can promise you this: Deebo is going to be doing everything he can, and he’ll be wanting to play by the end.”
However, Samuel may not have the final say in whether or not he actually plays.
“Do we clear him? Do we allow for that?” Lynch said. “We sure would love to have him. So I think there’s still a lot of time left in this week, and we’re a better team when he’s out there, so we’re going to do everything in our power, he’s going to do everything in his power, to have him out there.”
Samuel logged two catches for 24 yards against the Packers before exiting. On the season overall, he caught 60 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns while also rushing for 225 yards and five scores.
The 49ers went 12-5 this season, earning a first-round bye. They are aiming to make it to the Super Bowl for the second time in the last five years. Back during the 2019-20 campaign, San Francisco advanced to the Super Bowl, but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
It would certainly help to have Deebo Samuel back in the fold if the Niners want to get there again.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
