San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel last month suffered a Jones fracture in his left foot while running a route during player-organized workouts in Tennessee. His recovery time is expected to approach the start of the 2020 season, and hopefully, not beyond, should everything go well.
Of course, that's assuming the 2020 season takes place. The NFL is proceeding as if it will but is trying to be cautious in its approach. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to derail the league's plans.
The NFL has already proposed to cancel half of the preseason schedule. The NFL Players Association, however, would prefer that the entire slate of exhibition games be eliminated.
The NFL has also reportedly proposed holding 35 percent of player salaries in escrow to help manage the potential losses from the upcoming season. The NFLPA wasn't too receptive to that idea.
"Basically, we told them to kick rocks," NFLPA executive Don Davis told players on a conference call, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Samuel, however, tweeted out on Wednesday that he just wants to get healthy and play some football, urging the NFL and NFLPA to work out their differences.
I just wanna play football this season @NFL @NFLPA can we make this happen please 🙏🏾
— UnoCaptain‼️❌ (@19problemz) July 8, 2020
Samuel is entering his second NFL season after hauling in 57 passes for 802 yards and three receiving touchdowns during his rookie campaign. He also showed off his versatility with 14 rushing attempts for 159 yards with three rushing touchdowns.
The 49ers are scheduled to kick off the regular season against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on September 13. If 2020 has taught us anything, though, it's that things can change very quickly.