When San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel went down during their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, the worst was feared.
Samuel’s leg got rolled up on. He was seen down on the field in a ton of pain before being carted off to the locker room. At least initially, the injury seemed like it could have been a season-ender.
After undergoing further tests on Monday, including an MRI, those fears have not been realized. Per the 49ers, Samuel suffered a sprained MCL and an ankle sprain. The expectation is that he will return before the end of the regular season.
This is pretty big news for a San Francisco team that is in the midst of a six-game winning streak and could clinch the NFC West with a victory over the Seattle Seahawks Thursday night.
- Deebo Samuel stats (2022): 54 receptions, 612 receiving yards, 228 rushing yards, 841 total yards, 3 TD
While Samuel has not had the same impact as we saw during his All-Pro campaign of 2021, he remains an important player on offense in San Francisco. In particular, Samuel’s ability to make an impact multiple ways has helped turn this into one of the most dangerous offenses in the league.
The 49ers will undoubtedly miss Samuel until he is able to return at some point prior to the end of the regular season. That’s especially true with rookie seventh-round pick Brock Purdy starting at quarterback following the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo.
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With all of that said, the 49ers can afford to play it conservative with Samuel should they defeat Seattle on a short week. Winning this game would all but guarantee nothing lower than the No. 3 seed in the NFC. San Francisco is not going to catch the Philadelphia for the top spot in the NFC and a first-round bye.
Instead, it can focus on getting healthy for the postseason. At that point, having Deebo Samuel ready to go would be absolutely huge for the title contenders.