San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel attempted to give it a go Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ahead of the game, it was reported that Samuel was questionable to go due to an unknown illness. Samuel suited up and took part in less than a handful of snaps before returning to the sideline with the rest of his teammates.
He was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of a game the 49ers would go on to lose by the score of 28-18. It’s the very same game that saw fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffer a torn ACL and MCL in his knee, forcing him out for the remainder of the 2024 NFL season.
We now have more information regarding Samuel. It’s not good. And in reality, it’s more about his health than anything else. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday that Samuel is currently in the hospital dealing with fluid in his lungs and pneumonia.
This explains why Samuel was having a hard time breathing and needed oxygen on the sideline inside Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium. The fact that he attempted to give it a go is pretty darn crazy given the news that was released one day after the fact. Obviously, Samuel’s health takes precedence over football.
As for a potential return to the field for next Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, Shanahan would not put a timeline on it.
From an on-field standpoint, this is more brutal news for a 49ers team that currently sits at 3-4 on the season and is facing a daunting task moving forward.
In addition to Samuel’s illness and Aiyuk’s serious injury, the 49ers were without fellow wide receiver Jauan Jannings due to a hip injury. His status for next week is not yet known.
This also comes with reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, running back Christian McCaffrey, having missed the first seven games due to an Achilles’ injury. He’s unlikely to play this coming Sunday, with a potential return date Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kyle Shanahan Talks NFL Trade Rumors Amid 49ers Injury News
We’re now two weeks away from the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline. Said deadline comes at a time when the 49ers would typically be rumored to be involved in trade talks in the first place.
This organization pulled off a deal for McCaffrey ahead of the 2022 in-season deadline. San Francisco also acquired pass rusher Chase Young from the Washington Commanders last season. General manager John Lynch always has his phone active at this point on the NFL calendar.
In talking about Aiyuk’s injury with reporters on Monday, Shanahan indicated that the 49ers will be active in looking for upgrades.
“It makes you look into everything. Obviously, with more issues that came up yesterday, you still look into everything,” Shanahan told reporters, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “It has to do with what options are out there and stuff that we can pull off that helps us now and doesn’t hurt us for the future.”
Even with the 49ers expecting Samuel, Jennings and McCaffrey back following their Week 9 bye, finding an upgrade should be in the cards.
Though, Shanahan also knows that the market will play a role as it relates to the 49ers’ plans for the deadline.
“A lot of times that’s just living in hope. The answers aren’t always out there. You got to be ready to get people better in your building and deal with what you got in your building,” Shanahan said. “If you find something that makes sense we’ll never hesitate, but it’s not always available like you hope it is.”
We have seen the wide receiver market play out big time ahead of the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline. Last week saw the New York Jets acquire Davante Adams while the Buffalo Bills added fellow Pro Bowler Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns.
Whether this market continues to be active over the next couple weeks remains to be seen.
As noted above, San Francisco is 3-4 on the season. It must contend with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears in the five games following the team’s Week 9 bye.
If Samuel is not able to go against the Cowboys, rookie Ricky Pearsall will see more action. The first-round pick made his NFL debut Sunday against Kansas City Chiefs after being the victim of a shooting in a botched robbery attempt in San Francisco back in August.
Fellow rookie Jacob Cowing will also be asked to take on a larger role. It’s obviously not a great situation for the defending NFC champions as the remainder of October plays out.
For now, the attention turns to Dallas on Sunday. If the 49ers lose that home game, they’ll be 3-5 heading into the bye and pretty much in the midst of a lost season.
