Deebo Samuel isn’t likely to play in Week 1 according to Adam Schefter. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is a little more optimistic.
He told reporters after Saturday’s practice that Samuel could play in the regular-season opener on Sept. 13 vs. the Cardinals, but it’s not something the coach is counting on yet.
Samuel suffered a Jones fracture in the middle of June that was supposed to keep him out 12-16 weeks. That timeline put him on track to return just ahead of Week 1 at the earliest. A 16-week recovery time would put him back in the middle of October.
Whether the 49ers have their leading receiver from last year back will probably be up in the air until right before the game. Shanahan said Samuel will need a week of full-speed practices before he’ll be allowed to play per Matt Barrows of the Athletic.
Samuel led San Francisco’s receivers with 57 receptions and 802 yards last season. He added another 159 rushing yards on 14 carries.
The underlying good news here is less about Samuel’s immediate return and more about his timeline. Shanahan leaving the door open for a Week 1 comeback also opens the door a little wider for Samuel in either Week 2 or Week 3 if he’s not available for the first game.
That means San Francisco could just start Samuel on the active roster and list him as inactive until he’s ready to play. Starting him on an injured list would put him out for at least the first six weeks. The 49ers would have a hard time stringing wins together without Samuel if they missed him for an extended period of time.
This is all up in the air for now until we have a more firm grasp of where Samuel is with his workouts and rehab. A door for his Week 1 return is open though, which bodes well for the opener and his status moving forward into the 2020 season.