Deebo Samuel

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel will be limited in practice Thursday.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan relayed the news to reporters at a press conference prior to the session.

Samuel did not practice Wednesday and is questionable to play in Sunday's NFC Championship against the Detroit Lions.

The wide receiver suffered a shoulder injury in the first half of last Saturday's 24-21 divisional round win over the Green Bay Packers. He did not return to the game.

Samuel's status could be key to the 49ers' hopes of a trip to the Super Bowl. He ranks third on the team with 892 receiving yards this season.

Samuel was injured on the second drive of the 49ers' win over the Packers after a hit by cornerback Jaire Alexander.

After reportedly being evaluated for a head injury, Samuel was ruled out due to a shoulder injury suffered during the play.

He caught two passes for 24 yards before exiting the game, which marked the first time this season the 49ers have won without Samuel playing at least 10 offensive snaps, according to NFL.com's Kevin Patra.

Shanahan said after the game that X rays revealed Samuel had avoided a fracture, which he called "a real good sign."

The 49ers coach added that Samuel's game status against the Lions would depend on "how he feels on Wednesday."

"Based on his improvement, it will give us a better idea whether he has a chance for the game or not," Shanahan said Monday.

Shanahan then confirmed Wednesday that Samuel "feels better," which prefaced Thursday's limited return to practice.

That's good news for the 49ers, who saw Samuel sidelined for weeks by a shoulder injury earlier this season. The wide receiver missed two weeks after suffering a hairline fracture during a Week 6 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

The 49ers will hope this quicker recovery timeline has Samuel on pace to play against the Lions.

Detroit might remember Samuel from the last time these two teams matched up. During Week 1 of the 2021 season, Samuel hauled in nine catches for 189 yards and a touchdown to help lead the 49ers to victory.

San Francisco 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel missed practice on Wednesday as he continues to recover from his shoulder injury and his status for Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions remains uncertain, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Samuel suffered the injury in San Francisco's NFC Divisional Round win over the Green Bay Packers that caused him to be ruled out of the game after halftime. Schefter reported earlier this week that the 49ers considered it "50-50" that Samuel would be available to play in the conference title game.

The injury raised concerns for the 49ers after Samuel was forced to miss two games during the regular season with a hairline fracture in his left shoulder suffered in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the Packers game that Samuel "tried to come back, couldn't do it. I know he did something similar versus Cleveland."

In his 15 games this season, Samuel put forth another strong campaign with 60 receptions for 892 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 225 rushing yards and five scores on 37 carries. His dual-threat abilities make him an invaluable piece of the 49ers offense.

If Samuel is forced to sit out against the Lions, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy will lean on receiver Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle to lead the team's passing attack. Players like Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud and rookie Ronnie Bell could also see an uptick in playing time.

Getting Samuel healthy will be vital to the 49ers' hopes of winning a Super Bowl this year.

Nobody sets the tone for the San Francisco 49ers better than wide receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Trent Williams in the eyes of head coach Kyle Shanahan.

"They have similar styles and just the way they have fun before games, that's them," he said of the pair to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "That's genuinely who they are and that's why they're always going to be front and center. When you got the type of the talent and charisma of those two guys, it kind of sticks out.

"I think they feed off each other. And I know our team feeds off them."

Samuel and Williams lead by example to a degree. The former caught 60 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns and ran for 225 yards and five scores during the regular season, while the latter remains one of the NFL's best blockers, even into his age-35 season.

Their impact goes beyond what they do when they step onto the field as well.

Samuel and Williams were out for San Francisco's back-to-back defeats to the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals in Weeks 7 and 8. They returned in Week 10 as the Niners blew out the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3.

"But whenever they're in the locker room, walking out to the field, in warmups, they just have this aura about them that incites being a good football player," tight end George Kittle told reporters days after the win. "That's the best thing they bring besides their awesome ability."

It wasn't a coincidence Samuel and Williams were front and center in the 49ers' pregame scuffle with the Cleveland Browns in October. In Williams' case, he came in from well out of frame and seemed to have the final say in the situation.

They both possess a sense of fearlessness and confidence any coach loves to see in a veteran leader.

Quarterback Brock Purdy has garnered the most NFL MVP buzz of any Niners player thanks to how the award is increasingly dominated by his position. Running back Christian McCaffrey built a strong candidacy too.

Samuel and Williams' teammates might have a different answer if you were to ask anybody inside San Francisco's locker room who the most valuable player(s) on the squad are.

Brock Purdy's wide receivers are in his corner.

Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk took to Instagram to defend the San Francisco 49ers quarterback from some of the criticism he has faced after struggling at times during the Divisional Round win over the Green Bay Packers:

Samuel's post appeared to be in response to comments from ESPN analyst and former NFL defensive back Ryan Clark.

Clark was critical of Purdy both during and after the 49ers' 24-21 win over Green Bay, especially in comparison to other quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen:

Purdy played far from his best game against the Packers. He finished 23-of-39 for 252 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions, which is a solid but unspectacular stat line that doesn't completely capture the times he missed open receivers or chances to put his team ahead.

To his credit, he delivered with the game on the line.

San Francisco got the ball back down four points in the final seven minutes after the Packers missed a field goal. Purdy directed a 12-play, 69-yard drive that took up much of the remaining time and ended with a Christian McCaffrey touchdown run.

The quarterback went 6-of-7 passing on the drive, including a clutch third-down throw to Aiyuk and a 17-yard pass to Chris Conley that moved the 49ers into scoring position. Considering some of his earlier troubles against the Green Bay defense, it was a drive that will long be remembered in San Francisco if the 49ers go on to win the Super Bowl.

He also directed that drive while Samuel was on the sidelines because of a shoulder injury.

Purdy has already far exceeded any expectations that came with being the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft. He was an MVP candidate for stretches this season and completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while adding two more scores on the ground.

While most NFL fans and analysts would likely grant that he isn't quite on the same level as Mahomes, Allen and Jackson, among some others, he has still been excellent all season for a team that could take home a Lombardi Trophy.

And his wide receivers let people know about it.

Deebo Samuel could be in danger of missing the NFC Championship Game.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver is "50-50" right now to suit up Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan provided an update on Monday, telling reporters that Samuel did not suffer a fractured shoulder:

The Niners have been a different offense when Samuel has dealt with injuries previously this year. They went 0-2 in the regular-season games he missed due to a shoulder injury and narrowly escaped an upset against the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round after Samuel was forced out of that contest in the first quarter with left shoulder issues.

Shanahan told reporters after the win over the Packers that Samuel is a uniquely difficult player to replace:

It's always a huge challenge when you lose one of your best players, but Deebo is a little more unique just because of the way we do use him. There's not many more people who can do that stuff. When he is a big part of the game plan—which he always is—and he goes out that early, you've got to move a lot of people around, do a number of different things. I thought we handled it better today than we did against Cleveland, but we still need to do it better than we did.

When healthy, Samuel caught 60 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns in the 2023 season, adding 225 rushing yards and five additional scores. Few players in football offer his impact as both a receiver and runner, and the Niners continue to find creative ways to get him the ball in space.

So replacing him is essentially impossible, but the Niners are still loaded with weapons and will need to rely even more heavily on running back Christian McCaffrey, wideout Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle as they seek a title.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is expected to be available for next Sunday's NFC Championship Game, a source told to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Samuel's status was in question after he suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter of an NFC Divisional round win over the Green Bay Packers and was subsequently ruled out of the matchup after halftime.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game that Samuel "tried to come back, couldn't do it. I know he did something similar versus Cleveland, so we'll see tomorrow."

The injury was a tough break for Samuel, who had been mostly healthy during he regular season.

However, the injury to Samuel's shoulder caused some concern as he missed two games—an Oct. 23 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings and an Oct. 29 tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals—due to a hairline fracture in his shoulder.

Despite missing two games, the 28-year-old had a solid regular season, catching 60 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games, in addition to rushing for 225 yards and five scores on 37 carries.

Given the fact Samuel plays a dual-threat role in the San Francisco offense, it's hard for any player to replace him.

Niners quarterback Brock Purdy turns to Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud and rookie Ronnie Bell at wide receiver alongside veteran Brandon Aiyuk whenever Samuel misses time.

With San Francisco gearing up for the NFC Championship game against the winner of Sunday's game between the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it'll be crucial to get Samuel back on the field.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel has been ruled out for the remainder of Saturday's NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers with a shoulder injury, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner.

Samuel suffered the injury in the second quarter and did not return to the field. He re-emerged on the sideline after halftime without his uniform on, signaling that his night was over.

Samuel was mostly healthy during the regular season, though he was ruled out for an Oct. 23 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings with a hairline fracture in his shoulder and also missed an Oct. 29 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Oct. 21 that the veteran would miss at least two games.

The 28 year-old injured his shoulder on the first play of a 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 15 and ended up playing just nine snaps before being removed from the matchup.

Samuel had put together a solid season leading up to the injury, catching 20 passes for 302 yards and one touchdown in six games, in addition to rushing for 95 yards and one score on 18 carries.

The South Carolina product returned to the lineup for a Nov. 12 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars and finished the regular season without suffering another injury. He caught 60 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games, in addition to rushing for 225 yards and five scores.

Considering Samuel plays such a significant role in the offense, losing him for any amount of time is considered devastating for the 49ers.

When Samuel is sidelined, the 49ers turn to Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud and rookie Ronnie Bell at wide receiver alongside veteran starter Brandon Aiyuk.

The 49ers were one of the best teams in football this season earning the NFC's No. 1 seed and securing a first-round bye. If San Francisco clinches a berth in the NFC Championship game, the franchise will be hoping Samuel can suit up.