“He always gets hurt” – Deebo Samuel missing several weeks due to injury makes football fans lose their minds

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel will miss the next 4-5 games due to a calf strain after Christian McCaffrey's loss.

“He always gets hurt” – Deebo Samuel missing several weeks due to injury makes football fans lose their minds

Deebo Samuel (Image via IMAGO)

Deebo Samuel is the latest name on the ever-increasing San Francisco 49ers injury list. According to reports, Samuel strained his calf during the Minnesota Vikings game.

The 49ers were the overwhelming favorites to secure their second win of the season when they faced NFC rivals, the Vikings. They lost the tie with Deebo hobbling at the end of the day after catching 8 passes for 110 yards.

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A day later, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Samuel aggravated his calf strain and will most likely miss 3 to 6 weeks of football. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the news and 49ers beat writer David Lombardi.

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Football fans react to Deebo Samuel’s injury news

With Brandon Aiyuk staying in the headlines for the entire off-season because of his contract situation, Deebo Samuel got pushed to the sidelines. He popped back up in the week 1 win over the New York Jets, but there was cause for concern about his calf even then.

"He always gets hurt" Deebo Samuel missing several weeks due to injury makes football fans lose their minds
Deebo Samuel (Image via IMAGO)

Lombardi reported that the 28-year-old had limited practice, checking the progression of his calf. Unfortunately for the 49ers, Samuel will be out, and judging by the early reports, his estimated time of return is around when they will play the Dallas Cowboys.

Until then, those who drafted Deebo Samuel in their fantasy team must look for a contingency plan.

The focus shifts back to Brandon Aiyuk

Now that Samuel is no longer in the plans (at least for a few weeks), the focus shifts back to Brandon Aiyuk, who, after the extension, has mostly been muted with a handful of targets. Last season, Aiyuk had more yards per route run ahead of any 49ers receiver but in the first 2 games, Samuel took over, followed by Jauan Jennings.

Before the injury news, Shanahan told NBCS in an interview that they were even considering giving Samuel more as a running back as Christian McCaffrey is out for a long period.

If Deebo fully committed to running back and didn’t play any wideout, I think he would be one of the better running backs in the league. That’s how he’s built.
Kyle Shanahan said

They tried it out with Samuel lining up as a halfback for quarterback Brock Purdy. They reverted back to his original position after losing yards instead of gaining, and the emergence of Jordan Mason put a stop to their plans.

Samuel is no stranger to injuries. Earlier in 2024, he suffered from hamstring issues in his left leg and missed a few games midway through the 2023 regular season because of a hairline fracture.

Shanahan must not forget what happened last time when both McCaffrey and Deebo were injured at the same time. Purdy threw 4 interceptions, and they lost 3 back-to-back games against the Vikings, the Cleveland Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals.