When it rains, it pours for the San Francisco 49ers.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed to reporters Monday that wide receiver Deebo Samuel has suffered a strained calf. Samuel will now be out for a couple of weeks as a result of the injury, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The 28-year-old Samuel, a former First Team All-Pro, appears to have picked up the injury during San Francisco’s Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The news comes as a surprise as Samuel had eight catches for 110 yards against Minnesota and did not look to be at all hobbled in the game.
The defending NFC champion 49ers are really going through it right now. Fellow wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is still recovering after getting shot last month, and superstar running back Christian McCaffrey is now on injured reserve with an increasingly worrisome Achilles injury.
Samuel, who also sometimes works out of the backfield as a power runner, is the Niners’ single best offensive playmaker with McCaffrey out. But Samuel is now out himself, likely forcing Chris Conley into a starting WR role next to Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings. The 1-1 49ers do have a pair of fairly winnable games coming up against the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots, so hopefully the dynamic Samuel can be back out there again for them by Week 5.
