The San Francisco 49ers likely hoped to have both Fred Warner and Deebo Samuel available for Sunday's road game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The star linebacker returned to the practice field on Wednesday after missing Week 13 due to a hamstring strain. However, the star receiver remains sidelined, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
No Deebo Samuel at the start of practice. He's still working on a side field.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 9, 2021
On Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that hoped Samuel would practice on Thursday. Initially, Shanahan estimated that Samuel would miss one to two weeks due to a groin strain.
Last week, Samuel sounded confident that he would only miss one game.
"It's only going to take a week, so [I'll] be back next week," the third-year wideout told CBS Sports HQ.
That could still be the case. However, the 49ers only have one full practice remaining—a Friday afternoon session—before traveling to the East Coast.
Also missing from Thursday's practice was the 49ers' leading rusher, Elijah Mitchell, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. He is dealing with a knee injury while also being in the concussion protocol.
No sign of #49ers RB Elijah Mitchell (knee, concussion) at start of Thursday's practice.
Jeff Wilson Jr. (knee) is in uniform and on the field.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) December 9, 2021
Another player who Shanahan hoped would practice on Thursday, defensive end Dee Ford, remains sidelined. However, like Samuel, he was seen working on a side field.
We'll learn how much each of San Francisco's injured players practiced when the team releases its participation report.