Deebo Samuel Sr. is set to miss time after suffering a right hamstring injury in Sunday’s 32-29 win over the Seattle Seahawks, and the 49ers are bracing for a stretch without one of their most dynamic weapons.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday, after further testing, that the injury "got him pretty good" and that Samuel is "going to miss some time." The team does not have an exact timetable yet, but it expects to be without him for at least the next couple of games and likely longer.
Samuel left Sunday’s game with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter. He had already been favoring the right leg earlier in the contest, then was done for the day after Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas tackled him on the sideline. The 49ers quickly ruled him out from returning.
The receiver room is already stretched thin. San Francisco is down four of the top five pass-catchers it expected entering the season, with Ricky Pearsall (knee), De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle) and Demarcus Robinson (ankle) all on injured reserve.
Robinson is the closest of that group to coming back, but he cannot open his 21-day practice window until after next Monday night’s game against the Washington Commanders. Veteran Christian Kirk (calf) is also on IR and eligible to return to practice, though Shanahan said that is unlikely this week.
That leaves Mike Evans, Jordan Watkins, Brandin Cooks and Jacob Cowing as the available receivers, with Will Pauling, Xavier Smith and Malik Turner on the practice squad.
“I think we have enough,” Shanahan said. “Anytime you lose this number of guys, whether it’s four guys or five guys, whatever it is, it’s a huge challenge. But we do have guys in this building who can do it, and we’ll always look.”
The injury issues aren’t limited to the offense. Backup linebacker Garret Wallow also came out of the Seattle game with a hamstring injury. Shanahan said Wallow’s issue is "not quite as bad" as Samuel’s, but he is expected to miss "at least a couple of weeks."
That adds another wrinkle to a linebacker group already dealing with a one-game suspension for starting weakside linebacker Dre Greenlaw. The 49ers will lean on rookie Jaden Dugger, with Luke Gifford and Tatum Bethune offering depth, and could also look to practice-squad linebacker Jalen Graham if Greenlaw’s appeal does not go the way the team hopes. Linebacker Nick Martin (hamstring) is also nearing a return from IR.
There is at least some possible help coming on defense. Shanahan said defensive end Nick Bosa (calf), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (knee) and defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. (ankle) could be back this week, though each will be evaluated over the course of the week.
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