Deebo Samuel becomes the second San Francisco 49ers wide receiver this week to be activated from the non-football injury list. Richie James was activated on Thursday after rehabbing from a broken wrist suffered in June. His missed time was initially expected to run into October.
The 49ers activated Samuel on Saturday, making him available for Week 1. He has been recovering from a Jones fracture he sustained during a player-organized practice in June. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has been optimistic that Samuel would be available for the team's Week 1 contest against the Cardinals on September 13.
"We're hoping to get both of those guys back next week (for practice)," Shanahan said this week of both Samuel and rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury.
While many initially expected Samuel's recovery to be lengthier and potentially run past Week 1, the second-year wideout vowed since his surgery on June 18 to return in about 10 weeks. It has been 11 weeks.
The 49ers made Samuel a second-round draft pick out of South Carolina last year, and he hauled in 57 regular-season catches for 802 yards with three receiving touchdowns as a rookie. Samuel showed off his versatility with 14 rushing attempts for 159 yards with three more scores.
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