San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel was removed from the injury report on Friday and will play in the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Samuel suffered a shoulder injury that he described as a “deep bruise” during his team's 24-21 playoff win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Samuel does not have a fracture.
He said he spent countless hours this week working with San Francisco physical therapists to ease the pain. When a reporter asked Samuel on Sunday how he would protect his shoulder, the receiver shook his head.
“I’m not protecting anything,” Samuel said.
Samuel left the NFC divisional round game twice before being sidelined with a shoulder injury early in the third quarter. The shoulder injury occurred midway through the first quarter and a return was initially considered questionable. At the start of the half he was seen without a jersey or shoulder pads and was soon ruled out for the rest of the game.
He was eliminated for the first time in the first quarter after suffering a hard blow to the head. He entered the blue medical tent and completed concussion protocol before returning to the sideline.
Samuel's day ended with two catches and 24 yards. He recorded 892 receiving yards and 225 rushing yards for a total of 12 touchdowns during the season.
After Samuel left Sunday's game, veteran receiver Chris Conley saw more snaps against the Packers, providing a key block on running back Christian McCaffrey's 39-yard touchdown run before a 17-yard deep touchdown on the game-winning drive. Out caught by quarterback Brock Purdy.
It was hard to tell that Samuel was injured when watching him at the start of the last two practices. He moved well, circling – and moving his arms – to the music pumping over the speakers and reaching out to catch two passes directly over his head during the red zone on Friday.
Shanahan said the issue revolved around pain tolerance in Samuel's shoulder, which decreased over the week. Samuel was in full action Friday and Shanahan said the receiver didn't risk further damage to his shoulder by playing. It seems the only question will be contact: How much pressure will Samuel's shoulder be able to handle against the Lions?
The ultra-physical Samuel naturally uses his shoulders — as well as his knees and thighs — more than the average wide receiver, and the 49ers often use him in tailback-like roles. Over the years, defensive players have been eager to take shots at him and test his resolve. During the 2021 season, for example, he briefly had to cancel all three playoff games – in Dallas, Green Bay and Los Angeles – after taking serious hits or improving existing injuries. But he never really came out, scoring a total of 191 and two touchdowns in those games.
Shanahan was concerned about Samuel's status for this NFC title game earlier in the week, but he finishes three practices in San Francisco completely unconcerned. That's how quickly Samuel's condition improved this week.
“We were very concerned right after the game because he couldn't come back,” Shanahan said. But he had a great training yesterday and today he was really into it. So it’s out of sight and out of mind at the moment.”
With Samuel only missing Wednesday's practice, the 49ers were likely able to fully incorporate him into their game plan for this showdown against Detroit.
Although Samuel doesn't appear on the injury report at all, San Francisco made a surprise addition to their roster. Shanahan said No. 3 linebacker Oren Burks was involved in a practice collision 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 role as strongside linebacker. Defensive tackle Kalia Davis, who practiced but remains on IR, is also listed as questionable.
Required reading
(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)