Samuel had been in the hospital for a couple of days with pneumonia
The San Francisco 49ers have Tuesday off but received good news without being on the practice field. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was released from the hospital after finding out he had “some fluid in his lungs” over the weekend.
On Monday, Kyle Shanahan called it an “odd” illness, technically pneumonia. Samuel’s illness started acting up in the middle of the night on Saturday and evolved as Sunday went on.
Samuel played four snaps in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He came in and out of the game on two separate occasions, but it was evident that he wasn’t near 100 percent healthy. Somehow, Samuel made a tackle on an interception.
Later in the game, after Jacob Cowing’s long reception, Samuel ran down the sideline and celebrated for Cowing. He was close to getting penalized for running too far.
Samuel not only playing through a severe illness but continuing to bring the energy when he’s not on the field speaks to the type of teammate he is and highlights why he’s so beloved in the locker room.
It’s easy to root for that specific person, so Samuel’s release from the hospital is wonderful news, regardless of who he is or what team he plays for. Shanahan was unsure when Samuel would be released or if he’d be available this upcoming Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
The 49ers are in a tough spot. Week 8 is important when you consider how the conference standings could shake out a couple of months from now for the NFC Playoff race. They’re expected to be the Cowboys. They also need to continue winning to keep pace with the NFC West.
There has been no scenario since he was drafted in 2019 that the 49ers were better without Samuel on the field. Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season with a torn ACL, which means scoring becomes more of a challenge—the “easiest” way to score is by generating explosive plays. No player on this roster has been a bigger threat to score when the ball is in his hands than Deebo.
Do you give the week off, and he returns healthy after the bye week? Or do you think that because you have a week off, you can push Samuel to play on Sunday?
The good news is that no decision needs to be made Today. The 49ers can see how Samuel feels as the week goes along.