Deebo Samuel was back in practice for the 49ers when they took the field Thursday to continue preparations for a Week 17 showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders.
While he only practiced in a limited fashion, his return to the field is a good sign for his potential availability in Week 18. More importantly, it’s a great sign for his postseason availability.
Samuel initially hurt his knee and ankle when he got rolled up on in the first half of the 49ers’ Week 14 win over the Buccaneers. He was carted off and the visual of the injury left some concern that the 49ers may have to navigate the rest of the season without the star wide receiver.
He avoided a significant injury though and head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated shortly after that Samuel would only miss “three-ish” weeks. If he plays in Week 18 he will have missed three weeks exactly, though the club may opt to let him get an additional week off depending on how they feel about his readiness to return to play.
Here’s the full participation report for Thursday:
Did not participate
QB Jimmy Garoppolo (foot)
DL Kevin Givens (knee)
CB Ambry Thomas (ankle, illness)
No surprises here. Thomas is the third player to miss practice this week due to an illness.
Limited participation
DL Arik Armstead (foot, ankle)
DL Kerry Hyder (ankle)
DT Javon Kinlaw (knee)
RB Jordan Mason (hamstring)
RB Christian McCaffrey (knee)
WR Deebo Samuel (ankle, knee)
Samuel’s return is the headliner here, but Kinlaw joining practice is a good sign as well. He was out of Wednesday’s session due to maintenance on his surgically-repaired knee. It would appear everyone in this group except Samuel is on track to play Sunday in Las Vegas.
Full participation
DL Nick Bosa (illness)
QB Brock Purdy (oblique, rib)
LT Trent Williams (not injury related – resting player)
P Mitch Wishnowsky (illness)
Bosa and Wishnowsky were both out due to illness Wednesday. Their returns are good news since it means that illness didn’t linger too much. No setbacks for Purdy as well who was a full participant to start the week.
