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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel was removed from the injury report on Friday and will play in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions.
Samuel suffered what he called a “deep bruise” shoulder injury in his team’s 24-21 playoff victory against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Samuel did not have a fracture.
He said he spent countless hours this week working with San Francisco physical therapists to relieve the pain. When a reporter asked Samuel how he would protect his shoulder on Sunday, the catcher shook his head.
“I’m not protecting anything,” Samuel said.
Samuel left the NFC divisional round game twice before being ruled out with a shoulder injury to start the third quarter. The shoulder injury occurred midway through the first quarter and his return was initially considered questionable. At the beginning of the break he was seen without a shirt or shoulder pads and was soon ruled out for the rest of the game.
He left for the first time during the first quarter after receiving a severe blow to the head. He entered the blue medical tent and cleared the concussion protocol before returning to the sideline.
Samuel’s day ended with two catches and 24 yards. He had 892 receiving yards and 225 rushing yards during the season, adding 12 total touchdowns.
After Samuel left Sunday’s game, veteran receiver Chris Conley saw more snaps against the Packers and made a key block on running back Christian McCaffrey’s 39-yard touchdown run before catching a 17-yard pass from the quarterback. Brock Purdy on the game-winning drive.
It was difficult to realize that Samuel was injured while watching him at the beginning of the last two practices. He moved well, turning (and moving his arms) to the music playing over the speakers and stretching for two passes just above his head during the red zone period on Friday.
Shanahan said the issue revolved around the pain tolerance in Samuel’s shoulder, which decreased as the week progressed. Samuel was at full strength Friday and Shanahan said the receiver was not at risk of further shoulder damage while playing. It seems the only question will be contact: How many hits can Samuel’s shoulder absorb against the Lions?
The ultra-physical Samuel, of course, uses his shoulder (and knees and thighs) more than the average wide receiver and the 49ers often use him in running back-like roles. Over the years, defensive players have been eager to take a shot at him and test his resolve. During the 2021 season, for example, he had to briefly exit all three playoff games (in Dallas, Green Bay and Los Angeles) after taking big hits or tweaking existing injuries. But he never came out for good and combined for 191 and two touchdowns in those games.
Shanahan began the week concerned about Samuel’s status for this NFC title game, but he’s ending San Francisco’s three-practice stretch completely unconcerned about it. That’s how quickly Samuel’s condition improved this week.
“We were really worried right after the game because he couldn’t come back,” Shanahan said. But yesterday he had a great practice and today he was at his best. So now he himself is out of sight, out of mind.”
Since Samuel only missed practice on Wednesday, the 49ers have likely been able to fully integrate him into their game plan for this matchup against Detroit.
Although Samuel doesn’t appear on the injury report at all, San Francisco had a surprise addition to their roster. Shanahan said No. 3 linebacker Oren Burks was involved in a collision in practice and injured his shoulder. He is listed as questionable on the injury report.
If he is unable to play on Sunday, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles will assume his strongside linebacker role. Defensive tackle Kalia Davis, who is practicing but remains on IR, is also listed as questionable.
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(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)