San Francisco 49ers update Deebo Samuel return timeline from injury

The San Francisco 49ers provided an optimistic timeline for the return of star Deebo Samuel from injuries suffered last week. Samuel injured his leg during a rushing play last week that forced him to be carted off the field while visibly upset. On Tuesday, the latest update from head coach Kyle Shanahan was that Samuel is expected to return from his injury in about three weeks — plenty of time to return to form ahead of the NFL playoffs.

Deebo Samuel’s initial return timeline

“49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that he expects wide receiver Deebo Samuel to return from his knee and ankle injuries in around three weeks,” explained ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The update is a fantastic one to hear for 49ers fans who saw the tough scene on the field last weekend, with teammates consoling Samuel as he was carted off the field. Shortly after the game, Shanahan indicated that the injury was “most likely” a high ankle sprain and revealed that the leg had not suffered a break.

Now, the diagnosis being revealed that Samuel suffered an MCL and ankle sprain last week — avoiding a far more serious outcome. The question now becomes how quickly the 49ers will look to bring him back onto the field with the playoffs rapidly approaching. If Samuel misses three weeks, San Francisco will have the option to bring him back for a regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals in the final regular season game. If they decide to give him additional recovery time, his return could be the first round of the playoffs instead without a “warm-up” game.

Samuel was injured after being tackled awkwardly against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a run up the middle of the field, eventually having his left leg pinned between two defenders. The pain immediately caused Samuel to fumble the football on the play, and he remained on the field in pain for some time afterwards.