The San Francisco 49ers got one wide receiver back this week, as rookie Brandon Aiyuk returned to practice. It doesn't look like they will be as lucky with another injured wideout.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch were hopeful to have second-year receiver Deebo Samuel on the field with Aiyuk on Sunday. That now seems unlikely after Samuel wasn't out on the practice field with his teammates on Friday. He has not practiced with the team since suffering a Jones fracture in June.
No Deebo Samuel at practice. It's probably safe to cross him off the list for Sunday's game. Brandon Aiyuk, Ben Garland both on hand.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) September 11, 2020
Samuel had been confident that he would be available for Week 1. However, missing three days of practice leading to a game typically means that player will not play, and that may be the case for the second-year receiver.
Samuel had an impressive rookie campaign last season. The second-round pick hauled in 57 passes for 802 yards with three touchdowns while carrying the football 14 times for 159 rushing yards with three more scores on the ground through 15 games and 11 starts.
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Aiyuk was on the practice field for Friday's session, as was center Ben Garland. Shanahan noted that both would be a game-day decision.
"And Aiyuk, the fact that he got out yesterday will give him another chance to get two days in," Shanahan said on KNBR Friday morning. "Aiyuk got at least a couple of weeks in camp (before his injury), so he has a better chance at least of being there."
San Francisco will release official statuses for Sunday's game within the next couple of hours.