Sports
Deebo Samuel’s hamstring injury deepens 49ers’ receiver shortage
San Francisco will be without Samuel for an extended period after he hurt his hamstring against Seattle. The injury adds to a depleted receiving corps, leaving the 49ers weighing practice-squad call-ups ahead of their next game.
The San Francisco 49ers will be without wide receiver Deebo Samuel for an extended period after he injured his hamstring in Sunday’s 32-29 win over the Seattle Seahawks, coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday.
Samuel was hurt with about five minutes left in the third quarter at Lumen Field. After taking a handoff from quarterback Brock Purdy, he accelerated toward the left side of Seattle’s defense, then went down and fumbled. He stayed on the turf before limping off and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
“Deebo had a hamstring, got it pretty good so he’s going to miss some time,” Shanahan said. He did not say Samuel would be placed on injured reserve.
The loss compounds a shortage at receiver. Ricky Pearsall is out for the season with a knee injury, while Demarcus Robinson, De’Zhaun Stribling and Christian Kirk are on injured reserve. Kirk is not expected back for the team’s Week 6 game against Washington, Shanahan said. Mike Evans has continued playing despite a rib injury, and Jacob Cowing returned Sunday after hurting his ankle.
When Cowing left the game, San Francisco had three healthy receivers available: Evans, Brandin Cooks and Jordan Watkins. Cooks took on more of Samuel’s role after the injury and caught a seven-yard go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Shanahan said Cooks is likely to see an increased role while Samuel is out.
The 49ers may activate a receiver from their practice squad before the Monday game against Washington. Malik Turner, Xavier Smith, Will Pauling and Wesley Grimes are among the options. Shanahan said he prefers to have five receivers available on game day.
“I think we have enough,” Shanahan said. “It’s a huge challenge, but we do have guys in this building who can do it, and we’ll always look (for outside help).”