San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel sustained a shoulder injury in the Niners’ Divisional Round win over the Green Bay Packers. Samuel did not return to the game after the injury, and finished the day with two receptions for 24 yards.
Samuel missed several games earlier this season due to a hairline fracture in the same shoulder. The 49ers face the Detroit Lions on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game.
NFL Playoffs 2024: 49ers vs. Lions
Deebo Samuel injury updates
Friday update: Samuel is not on the final injury report heading into the weekend. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said that the wide receiver will play Sunday.
Thursday update: Samuel will be upgraded to a limited practice participation on Thursday, per head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Wednesday update: Samuel is not practicing on Wednesday, per head coach Kyle Shanahan. The wide receiver’s status is “TBD” for Sunday. Samuel was spotted at practice with a jersey on, doing individual work on the side field.
Samuel’s X-rays on the injured shoulder reportedly came back negative, indicating that he did not re-fracture the shoulder. Per Adam Schefter, Samuel is “50-50” to play on Sunday against the Lions.
49ers consider it “50-50” as to whether wide receiver Deebo Samuel will be able to play in Sunday night’s NFC championship game vs. the Lions due to the shoulder injury he suffered vs. the Packers, per source. pic.twitter.com/25N9aDXvxd
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2024
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Monday that his status remains “up in the air,” but that Samuel himself thinks he will be good to go.
If Samuel doesn’t play, we can expect to see Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk get an increase in snaps and targets. Both WRs finished with more receiving yards than Samuel on Saturday, grabbing 61 and 32 yards respectively. Tight end George Kittle had four receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown, and we can also expect to see him consistently targeted by quarterback Brock Purdy.
Check back here for updates on Samuel’s status for Sunday.