San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel is expected to miss “a couple of weeks” due to a calf strain, coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Monday.
If Samuel is out for only two weeks, putting him on injured reserve doesn’t need to be a consideration. Players on injured reserve must miss a minimum of four games, under NFL rules.
Deebo Samuel suffered a calf strain. He will miss “a couple weeks”, says Kyle Shanahan
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 16, 2024
Samuel had eight receptions for 110 yards in San Francisco’s 23–17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. He suffered the calf strain late in the game, though it’s uncertain on which play he sustained the injury.
“He told me he thinks he did it when he caught — I think it was like the third-to-last play,” Shanahan explained, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “They had a blitz down in the red zone, he caught the hot route breaking in. He says he thinks he did it on that play. There was only like two or three plays after that play, though.”
After two games, Samuel leads the 49ers with 13 receptions for 164 yards. He’s also rushed for 13 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
Samuel joins Christian McCaffrey among injured players for the 49ers. The running back was placed on injured reserve last week with Achilles tendinitis and calf tightness.
As valuable as Samuel has been to the 49ers’ offense during his six seasons, he’s never played a full schedule of games. Last season, Samuel missed two games with a hairline fracture in his shoulder. In 2022, he was limited to 12 games due to a sprained MCL and sprained ankle.
For Week 3, the 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams, who will be without receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua for multiple games.
