San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel in June sounded confident that he would be ready to go for Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals after suffering a Jones fracture. Head coach Kyle Shanahan remains hopeful that can happen but isn't necessarily betting on it.
"The way I kind of see it in my mind ... I think we're hoping for Week 1 (but) not counting on it," Shanahan said when asked about Samuel's recovery. "But I think that's kind of the area that these injuries usually heal by. But a lot of it has to do (with) are you ready to play, is it fully healed by that time, are you in football shape?"
Samuel shared the following video on Instagram of himself running sprints and showing off his progress. (h/t to Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area)
Here's Deebo Samuel running sprints as he works his way back from a Jones fracture in June. #49ers
🎥 @19problemz on IG pic.twitter.com/5dxETPewwo
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) August 20, 2020
He's obviously not at 100 percent yet, but having him in the lineup, paired with rookie Brandon Aiyuk and mainstay Kendrick Bourne, for the start of the season would be huge for Shanahan and the 49ers offense. The video, however, doesn't show off testing his foot and making cuts. That will likely come at a later date as his rehabilitation progresses.
"Deebo's going to do everything he can to be in shape, but it's hard to be in football shape until you can play football," Shanahan continued. "So, how many practices do we get him in here before Arizona? That's going to all go into play, but I'm hoping for Week 1 but not sure yet. It's a little too early."
Earlier this month, Samuel showed off his rehabilitation progress while working out at the 49ers facility in Santa Clara.