The San Francisco 49ers' injury woes continued on Sunday during their Week 14 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last week it was quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. This week, it was star wideout Deebo Samuel. In the second quarter, Samuel was bent in an awkward fashion while being tackled after taking a handoff up the middle. He fumbled the ball and immediately grabbed his left leg.
The positive news is the severity of Samuel's injury is not as bad as initially thought. The 49ers say Samuel suffered an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain and expect him to return during the regular season, per CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson.
After the Niners' 35-7 win, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel "most likely" suffered a high ankle sprain and confirmed nothing was broken. Samuel remained on the turf for several minutes after the play where he got hurt, and a cart was driven onto the field to take him to the locker room. The star wideout was emotional while his teammates met him on the field to say goodbye. The 49ers later ruled Samuel out for the remainder of the game with what they called an ankle injury.
The All-Pro weapon caught four passes for 43 yards, and rushed four times for 21 yards and a touchdown before suffering his injury. The former second-round pick out of South Carolina emerged as one of the NFL's most versatile weapons in 2021, as he racked up 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns. In July, he signed a three-year, $71.55 million extension that can reach up to $73.5 million, and included $58.1 million guaranteed.