Deebo Samuel

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is expected to return to the field on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills after recovering from a shoulder injury, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday.

"Lots of things can happen between now and then, but right now he's playing," Shanahan said, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

San Francisco's season has been beset by injury. Brandon Aiyuk is done for the year. Christian McCaffrey didn't play until November. George Kittle, Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel, among others, battled knocks at points throughout the season. The list goes on.

Purdy joined that list on Nov. 24, missing a matchup against the Green Bay Packers due to right shoulder soreness. It was a development that surprised the Niners.

"I don't want to say there's long-term concern," Shanahan told reporters at the time. "We thought he just needed some rest, and we really weren't concerned about [him] not being good this week. But when he started up Thursday, it just surprised him, surprised us with how it felt. So we had to shut him down. I really don't know what to think of it."

The 24-year-old quarterback had been one of the steady presences during the team's tough 5-6 season, throwing for 2,613 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions, completing 66 percent of his passes.

While there are still questions about whether Purdy can be a legitimate star or is simply a solid game-manager in a productive offensive scheme, there's little doubt that he's emerged as the team's quarterback of the future.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel nearly got his NFL start with a different team in the NFC West.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Seattle Seahawks had a trade in place with the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire the No. 35 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, where the team would have selected Samuel. However, the Raiders would change their minds and eventually dealt the pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"Shortly before the second round, Seattle had a trade worked out with the Las Vegas Raiders to move up to No. 35, with Samuel as the target," Schefter wrote. "But before that trade was finalized, the Raiders instead decided to send the 35th pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor. To this day, the Seahawks don't know why the Raiders reneged on the deal, according to sources."

Samuel was picked by the 49ers at 36th overall.

The Seahawks would select DK Metcalf with the No. 64 pick in that draft, although Schefter reported that the team's original plan was to still get both players.

"But the Seahawks' grand plan in the second round was to get Samuel near the top and Metcalf later," Schefter wrote. "They did wind up getting Metcalf when they traded back up to the last pick in the round, No. 64 overall. Seattle traded third- and fourth-round picks to the New England Patriots for that selection."

Metcalf has fit in very well in the Seahawks system, with 5,900 career receiving yards and 46 touchdowns in six seasons. He has been the team's No. 1 receiver throughout his time in the league, but a dynamic duo with Samuel could have been special.

Samuel has 4,590 career receiving yards and 20 touchdowns while also adding 1,087 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. His dynamic play could have added an extra element to the team's offense, especially when Russell Wilson was having some of his strongest seasons as the team's quarterback.

Instead, Samuel has served as a problem for the Seahawks defense for the past six seasons.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. is set to play against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday amid a wrist injury and following an illness that left him in the hospital last week, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Samuel was limited to four snaps in San Francisco's 28-18 los to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7 and checked into a hospital after the game with pneumonia.

"I think it started acting up in the middle of the night Saturday night or early Sunday morning and then it just kind of evolved as the day went," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters. "Once we found out he had the fluid in his lungs and stuff after the game, then I believe they sent him over there."

Samuel's illness summed up the Niners' season, one in which they've seen multiple stars sidelined for stretches. Just on offense, running back Christian McCaffrey's Achilles tendinitis kept him out for the first seven games, while wideout Brandon Aiyuk suffered a season-ending torn ACL and MCL.

That the bottom hasn't fallen out completely for San Francisco is a testament to the depth it has across the roster.

At the receiver position, Aiyuk's injury has put an even higher priority on Samuel staying healthy.

The 2021 All-Pro has caught 20 passes for 335 yards and one touchdown so far, numbers that are somewhat skewed by how little he played against the Chiefs. He's still good enough to be an anchor for the passing game.

Were the Niners to lose Samuel for an extended stretch, their offense could be in serious trouble.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel still has a chance to play Sunday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys following a hospitalization for pneumonia, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Wednesday.

Samuel exited the 49ers' Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after having difficulty breathing in the second quarter of the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters.

He was hospitalized after the game with pneumonia and fluid in his lungs, according to the team.

Shanahan told reporters on the following day that the 49ers had no timeline for Samuel's return.

Samuel had played just four offensive snaps prior to his exit from Week 7's loss, which marked the second game this season during which he has been limited by injury. He previously missed Week 3's loss to the Los Angeles Rams with a calf injury.

In the five games he was available this season, Samuel made 20 catches for 335 yards and one touchdown while serving as a fourth target for Brock Purdy behind receiver Jauan Jennings, tight end George Kittle and star wideout Brandon Aiyuk.

With Jennings sidelined with a hip injury, Samuel was expected to receive a larger target share against the Chiefs.

Now the 49ers' wide receiver depth will be tested further going forward, with Aiyuk set to miss the rest of the 2024 season after injuring his ACL and MCL against Kansas City, per Shanahan.

Samuel has been key to quarterback Brock Purdy's development as the Niners' starting quarterback. He is now three seasons removed from his 1,405-yard Pro Bowl campaign in 2021, but the importance of the key depth role he plays for the 49ers only increased with Aiyuk's season-ending injury.

After exiting Sunday's game with a pneumonia-like illness, Deebo Samuel has been released from the hospital, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Samuel came into the matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs expecting to play through the illness, but he played just a few snaps before exiting the game. Later on Sunday night, Samuel checked into the hospital because of fluid buildup in his lungs.

"I think it started acting up in the middle of the night Saturday night or early Sunday morning and then it just kind of evolved as the day went," head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "Once we found out he had the fluid in his lungs and stuff after the game, then I believe they sent him over there."

Shanahan also said Sunday that there is no timeline for Samuel's return, but checking out of the hospital likely means he's trending in the right direction.

Samuel, who missed the Niners' Week 3 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams due to a calf strain, is San Francisco's fourth-leading receiver with 335 receiving yards and a touchdown. He's coming off a season in which he recorded 892 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games.

While San Francisco got some good news about one of its star receivers on Tuesday, another received devastating news on Monday.

Brandon Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Sunday's contests with the Chiefs and will miss the remainder of the season. Aiyuk had 25 receptions for 374 receiving yards through seven games.

The fifth-year receiver inked a four-year, $120 million contract extension this offseason after a tremendous 2023 campaign where he collected 1,342 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

The injury woes for the Niners extend beyond just Aiyuk and Samuel. Jauan Jennings, San Francisco's leading receiver this year, missed Sunday's game with a hip injury and his status for this week is unclear. Shanahan said the 49ers are "really hoping to get him back this week."

Jennings, a fourth-year player out of Tennessee, is putting together the best season of his career so far with 404 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 25 receptions. With Aiyuk done for the year and Samuel potentially out for this week's matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco desperately needs at least one of its top receivers on the field amid a 3-4 start.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is being considered day-to-day with a sprained foot, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

It is the latest injury in what has been a rough season for the Niners on that front. This week alone, star wideout Brandon Aiyuk was lost for the season with a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, while Deebo Samuel has been hospitalized due to pneumonia and fluid in his lungs.

Meanwhile, star running back Christian McCaffrey remains sidelined with Achilles tendinitis and likely won't return until after the team's Week 9 bye.

Other key players battling injuries or on injured reserve include wideout Jauan Jennings, safety Talanoa Hufanga, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and running back Elijah Mitchell.

"It sucks," center Jake Brendel told reporters Sunday regarding Aiyuk's injury. "Any injury like that to one of your weapons on offense or defense, it just sucks. I feel like as a roster, we just have to respond. Whoever's next on the roster needs to step up and make sure that there isn't a setback and productivity on offense."

The team's rash of injuries has contributed to a 3-4 start to the season, a major disappointment for one of the preseason title favorites after San Francisco reached the Super Bowl a year ago, falling short against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for the second time in five seasons.

Kittle has been one of the bright spots, leading the Niners in receptions (34) and receiving touchdowns (five) while ranking second in receiving yards (375) behind only Jennings. If the veteran tight end misses the Week 8 showdown against the Dallas Cowboys, quarterback Brock Purdy would be without his four best offensive weapons (and potentially five, if Jennings is also unable to go).

San Francisco's offense is skating on thin ice, in other words, and it's thawing at an alarming pace.

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is reportedly the latest member of the San Francisco 49ers with a health concern.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that the 28-year-old was hospitalized because of pneumonia. He also had fluid in his lungs.

The veteran exited Sunday's 28-18 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs early because of an illness and now has no timetable for his return to the field after this latest development.

This is just the latest setback for the offense.

Christian McCaffrey has not played a game this season because of Achilles tendonitis after he was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year during the 2023 campaign. Schefter's report noted tight end George Kittle is now considered day-to-day because of a sprained foot.

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is not as fortunate and will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL and MCL during the loss to the Chiefs, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. What's more, wide receiver Jauan Jennings missed the game against Kansas City with a hip injury.

Then there was rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who didn't make his season debut until this Sunday because he was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco in August.

While the 49ers had realistic Super Bowl aspirations coming into this season as the reigning NFC champions, all the health concerns have led to an uneven 3-4 start. And the immediate future might be difficult as well as the team attempts to replace Aiyuk's lost production with Samuel's status unclear ahead of an upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Samuel is a key piece in the team's offense with the ability to run the ball out of the backfield and serve as a go-to pass-catcher.

The 2021 Pro Bowler has 20 catches for 335 yards and one touchdown to go with 51 yards and a score on the ground through six games this season. He also missed a Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Rams with a calf injury.

San Francisco will likely rely even more on Kittle assuming he can play and turn to the receiver combination of Chris Conley, Pearsall and Ronnie Bell for much-needed depth following all these setbacks.