49ers have ambitious goal for Deebo Samuel return

Sep 26, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel suffered a significant ankle injury in Sunday’s win, but the team is clearly feeling encouraged about his status a day later.

Samuel has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL and a sprained ankle, but the 49ers expect him to play again during the regular season..

#49ers WR Deebo Samuel has an MCL sprain in his knee and an ankle sprain. The team expects him to return at some point during the REGULAR season.

— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) December 12, 2022

This is roughly what the 49ers expected when they updated Samuel’s status Sunday night. The timeline for a return is more ambitious than most would have expected, however, given this sort of injury might keep most players out for a month or so. Even the most optimistic timeline might not have Samuel back until Week 18, and the 49ers might not even have much of anything to play for by that point.

Samuel’s injury looked quite severe when it happened, so it’s good that it is not a season-ender. The 49ers will clearly be pushing to try to get him back for the playoffs, and apparently even sooner than that.