49ers WR Deebo Samuel Expected To Return In Week 4
SEPTEMBER 29: Samuel is returning sooner than expected. As first reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the 28-year-old wideout expects to play in the 49ers’ Week 4 contest against the the Patriots, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter subsequently noted that the team has the same expectation.
While Jennings had a monster performance in Samuel’s absence in Week 3 — catching 11 passes for 175 yards and three scores — San Francisco still lost the game, and the club will be happy to have the former First Team All-Pro back in the fold.
SEPTEMBER 16: The 49ers are down another offensive star. Receiver Deebo Samuel suffered a calf strain yesterday that will sideline him for several weeks, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.
[RELATED: 49ers To Place RB Christian McCaffrey On IR]
According to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, Samuel believes he suffered his injury late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss. The 49ers only played a handful of additional offensive snaps before the game ended. It doesn’t sound like Samuel will require an IR stint, but Shanahan also hinted that this will be more than a one-game absence.
The 49ers were already operating without star RB Christian McCaffrey, with Samuel soaking up a handful of leftover snaps in the backfield (behind Jordan Mason). Samuel was naturally impressing in the receiving game, averaging 82 yards through his first two contests. That marked his highest average since his 1,405-yard receiving effort in 2021, and it was also a major step up from his 54.4 yards-per-game-mark between 2022 and 2023.
Attention will now turn to the team’s remaining offensive star in Brandon Aiyuk. The wideout is coming off a drama-filled training camp and preseason that included a hold-in and a trade request. That ended up culminating in the receiver earning a contract worth $30MM annually, and the fifth-year pro will now be called upon to help guide the team’s receivers. Through two games, Aiyuk has hauled in only six catches for 71 yards, and he had a notable dropped touchdown in Week 1.
With Samuel out, Jauan Jennings will likely see an uptick in playing time. The Super Bowl LVIII standout got into 38 offensive snaps yesterday, and he was the only receiver outside of Samuel and Aiyuk to see a significant role. Chris Conley and Ronnie Bell got into a combined 15 snaps, while Jacob Cowing didn’t garner an offensive snap. Rookie Ricky Pearsall will also eventually be inserted into the conversation, although there’s a good chance he’s back after Samuel.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/24
Minor transactions and practice squad callups for the Week 4 weekend:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: DT Angelo Blackson, T Charlie Heck
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: G Matt Hennessy
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: RB Chris Collier
- Placed on IR: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: OLB Thomas Incoom, DE DeShawn Williams
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: DT Byron Cowart, S Tarvarius Moore
- Placed on IR: TE Stephen Carlson (story)
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: CB Tony Brown, TE Geoff Swaim
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: LB Levelle Bailey, S Tanner McCalister
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: CB Kamal Hadden, CB Robert Rochell
Houston Texans
- Elevated: RB J.J. Taylor
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: DT Adam Gotsis, CB David Long
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed to active roster: TE Josiah Deguara
- Elevated: CB Christian Braswell, LB Tanner Muse
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: TE John Samuel Shenker
- Elevated: WR Alex Bachman, OLB K’Lavon Chaisson
- Waived: WR Ramel Keyton
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: LB Blake Lynch, C Sam Mustipher
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: WR Xavier Smith, CB Ahkello Witherspoon
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: OLB Bo Richter, TE Robert Tonyan
New England Patriots
- Signed to active roster: CB Isaiah Bolden
- Elevated: DT Trysten Hill, TE Mitchell Wilcox
- Placed on IR: CB Alex Austin
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: G Kyle Hergel
New York Jets
- Elevated: DT Bruce Hector, LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: WR Parris Campbell, WR John Ross
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: CB Thomas Graham Jr., RB Aaron Shampklin
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed to active roster: DE Sam Okuayinonu
- Elevated: DT Evan Anderson, S Jaylen Mahoney
- Placed on IR: DT Javon Hargrave (story), LB Curtis Robinson (story)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: P Trenton Gill, WR Sterling Shepard
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: DE Andre Jones Jr., RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
49ers LB Curtis Robinson Suffers ACL Tear
Curtis Robinson‘s 2024 campaign has come to an abrupt end. The fourth-year linebacker suffered an ACL tear in practice, head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday. 
As a result, Robinson will be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. The 26-year-old is on track to become an exclusive rights restricted free agent during the spring, but today’s news obviously hurts his chances of being tendered by the 49ers. Robinson has proven to be a key special teams presence during his time in the Bay Area, and his absence will be felt in that regard.
After spending much of his rookie campaign in Denver, Robinson joined the 49ers in a bid to land a full-time spot on the team’s active roster. The former UDFA has gone on to make 12 appearances since, including three this season. San Francisco’s linebacker position is thin as things stand with Dre Greenlaw rehabbing the Achilles tear he suffered in the Super Bowl. Greenlaw is expected to be available around the midway point of the campaign.
In the meantime, Robinson was in position to handle backup defensive duties in addition to his notable third phase responsibilities. His 59 special team snaps lead the team so far this year, so replacing him especially while Greenlaw is sidelined will be challenging. This news marks another blow to the 49ers on the injury front as the team aims to rebound from a 1-2 start.
San Francisco currently ranks 30th in the league in special teams DVOA, so that unit was already poorly positioned to suffer an injury to one of its top members. Nevertheless, the 49ers will move forward while Robinson’s attention will turn to a lengthy rehab process ahead of free agency and the 2025 campaign.
OL Rumors: Patriots, Moses, Cards, 49ers
The Patriots entered training camp with significant questions along their offensive line; those have not been answered, as the team continues to delay Drake Maye‘s debut. This could set up a historically rare succession at the game’s highest-profile O-line position. The Pats may be on the verge of starting a fourth left tackle in four games to open the season. Demontrey Jacobs, who went to camp with the Broncos before becoming a Patriots waiver claim, worked at LT alongside the other first-string blockers during the parts of Wednesday and Thursday’s practices open to media, the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed notes.
Injuries and Chukwuma Okorafor leaving the team put the Pats in this bind. They have used Okorafor, Vederian Lowe and rookie third-rounder Caedan Wallace at LT over the first three weeks. Lowe and Wallace injuries brought Jacobs into the fray against the Jets. Part of Denver’s 2023 UDFA class, Jacobs had not played in a regular-season game until last week. Wallace has gotten in two limited practices, potentially allowing the Pats to prevent this 4-for-4 turnstyle on Jacoby Brissett‘s blind side, but Lowe remains out ahead of a 49ers matchup.
Here is the latest from the O-line ranks:
- Remaining in the AFC East, the Jets intend to go week to week with their right tackle. Morgan Moses sustained an MCL sprain and bone bruise and will miss a few weeks, but Robert Saleh confirmed the Jets will not park their RT starter on IR. Moses has been a dependable player throughout his career, missing only three games over the past 10 seasons. It will be worth wondering if the veteran reacquires his job upon returning, as the Jets will throw first-round pick Olu Fashanu into action. Fashanu had been drafted to initially provide insurance for Moses and fellow 33-year-old blocker Tyron Smith, before moving into a long-term starting role. Will the Penn State product play well enough to avoid being sent back to the bench?
- The Cardinals are using a backup right tackle as well, plugging in Kelvin Beachum after Jonah Williams‘ Week 1 injury. Williams is on IR due to a knee injury, and Beachum missed Week 3 with a hamstring malady. Formerly a long-term starter for the Steelers, Jets and Cardinals, Beachum returned to practice but is in his age-35 season. The Cardinals worked out another 30-something tackle this week, bringing in Cameron Erving, per Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer. The Texans had cut the former first-round pick from their practice squad injured list recently, but the nine-year vet does not look to have needed much time to recover. The Cardinals started former seventh-round pick Jackson Barton in Beachum’s place in Week 3.
- GM Monti Ossenfort had said a D.J. Humphries reunion could commence down the road, despite the second-year Cardinals regime cutting the longtime left tackle early this offseason. But the former first-round pick is not ready to return from injury just yet. He is still potentially several weeks away from medical clearance, Balzer adds. Humphries, 30, started eight seasons for the Cardinals — seven at left tackle, one at right tackle — went down during the team’s Week 17 win over the Eagles.
- Beaten out for the 49ers‘ right guard job after seeing extensive time there from 2022-23, Spencer Burford is seeing some reps at a new position. The 49ers are trying the third-year blocker at tackle, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. This is due to San Francisco having just three tackles — Trent Williams, Colton McKivitz, Jaylon Moore — on their 53-man roster, with one of those (Williams) being 36. It is interesting this effort is only commencing now, as Williams’ holdout lasted more than a month. Burford, who now backs up third-round rookie Dominick Puni, played guard and tackle at Texas-San Antonio.
49ers Eyeing Midseason Return For LB Dre Greenlaw
While the 49ers appear in slightly better shape compared to their injury-marred 2020 season, the team has seen its star-stacked roster run into significant health trouble at an early juncture. Injuries have played a major role in the defending NFC champions’ 1-2 record.
Some of the pieces will return, though Javon Hargrave is not expected to and Christian McCaffrey‘s murky status overshadows the other issues at this point. But Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are practicing again. This comes after Talanoa Hufanga made his season debut against the Rams. The other key San Francisco starter to suffer a late-season injury last year does not appear to be expected to miss the bulk of this campaign, either.
San Francisco is expecting Dre Greenlaw to make a midseason return, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows (subscription required). Going down with a historically ill-timed Achilles tear, Greenlaw can be activated from the PUP list beginning in Week 5. That appears ambitious for a player who went down early in Super Bowl LVIII, but the 49ers do not seem likely to wait too much longer for the three-down linebacker to re-emerge.
The team reached multiple contingency plans to cover for Greenlaw’s rehab timetable, agreeing to terms with Eric Kendricks and then De’Vondre Campbell. Kendricks backtracked on his 49ers pledge due to the Cowboys offering him more playing time compared to a 49ers role that would have seen him drift to a part-time performer once Greenlaw recovered. The team then gave Campbell a one-year, $5MM deal to be Fred Warner‘s stopgap sidekick. The Packers had cut Campbell after three seasons.
Campbell committed a costly pass interference penalty late in the Rams’ comeback win Sunday. It is too early for true assessments to be made, but Pro Football Focus ranks Kendricks 21st among off-ball ‘backers while slotting Campbell 54th. Campbell has played 92% of San Francisco’s defensive snaps, while nominal starter/part-time player Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles has logged a 26% snap rate. Greenlaw’s return stands to reduce Campbell’s workload to Flannigan-Fowles’ level or close to it.
Suffering the Achilles tear while trotting onto the field in the first half, Greenlaw had experienced pain in that area in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. This bit the 49ers at the worst possible time, as Travis Kelce took advantage of the suddenly depleted LB corps. Greenlaw was immediately deemed out of the picture for the season’s first four weeks, with the PUP list becoming inevitable due to mid-February surgery. No timetable emerged after that designation became official, with this midseason assessment being the closest thing to it. It is worth wondering if the 49ers will factor their Week 9 bye into this equation, though some big games — against the Seahawks and Chiefs — loom in Weeks 6 and 7.
Greenlaw, 27, is signed to a two-year, $16.4MM deal. The sixth-year veteran has a chance at a big payday come 2025, though he will need to return to his pre-tear form. Ex-teammate Azeez Al-Shaair‘s three-year, $34MM Texans deal could represent a viable target. With McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk extended this offseason and a Brock Purdy payday looming, the 49ers will have difficult decisions to make on defense. Greenlaw, Hufanga and cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir are unsigned for 2025. For now, however, this group remains intact to help the 49ers rebound after a slow start. This cadre is poised to include Greenlaw soon.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/25/24
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Austen Pleasants
- Placed on IR: OT Jackson Barton
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Sam Pinckney
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Ameer Speed
- Released: DB Ro Torrence
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OT Sebastian Gutierrez, OT Ricky Lee III, DE Elerson Smith
- Released: LB Luiji Vilain
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Abraham Beauplan
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OT Gottlieb Ayedze
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR John Jiles
New York Giants
- Signed: FB Jakob Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Shakel Brown
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: P Trenton Gill
Trenton Gill has caught on with the Buccaneers practice squad after getting cut by the Broncos back in August. Gill spent the previous two seasons as the Bears full-time punter, with the 25-year-old averaging 46 yards per punt while landing 28.6 percent of his punts inside the 20. As Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times notes, this addition is a sign that Bucs punter Jake Camarda may be on the hot seat. The former fourth-round pick is averaging a career-low 39.8 net yards per punt.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/24/24
Here are Tuesday’s taxi squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: LB Joe Evans
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: S Alex Cook, Justin Hardee
- Released: OLB Eku Leota
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Teagan Quitoriano
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DB Morice Norris
Green Bay Packers
- Released: TE Johnny Lumpkin
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Josiah Bronson, DE Derek Rivers
- Placed on IR: QB Jason Bean
- Released: CB Kelvin Joseph
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: TE Luke Benson, CB Nehemiah Shelton
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR John Jiles
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Joel Wilson
- Placed on IR: TE Lawrence Cager
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Brandon Smith
- Released: S Jaylen Key
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR John Ross
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Marcus Haynes
- Released: TE Matt Sokol
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: S Tracy Walker
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Ty Hall, DT Matt Gotel
- Placed on IR: RB George Holani
- Released: S Marquise Blair
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: P Trenton Gill, CB Keenan Isaac
- Released: P Seth Vernon
This year’s ‘Mr. Irrelevant,’ Key did not make the Jets’ initial 53-man roster. The 24-year-old was retained via the practice squad, but he did not see any regular season action. Now a free agent, Key will look to latch on with another organization.
Ross signed with the Eagles in May as part of his bid to return to the NFL. The former Combine 40-yard dash record holder was released during roster cutdowns, however, after he was unable to carve out a depth role on offense. Ross will rejoin the team in a bid to provide Philadelphia with a complementary receiving option as the team deals with a number of injuries at the WR spot.
Javon Hargrave Expected To Miss Rest Of Season; Christian McCaffrey Seeing Specialist In Germany
The 49ers continue to get hit with injuries. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffered a partially torn triceps during yesterday’s loss to the Rams, coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters (per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). Hargrave is expected to miss the rest of the season.
“It’s a big one and I thought he had his best game yesterday,” Shanahan said of the injury (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic). “I thought he was a huge factor.”
Hargrave actually got into a season-high 39 defensive snaps yesterday. The defensive tackle collected his first sack of the season on Matthew Stafford, adding to the 44.5 sacks he’s complied throughout his career.
Following a two-year stretch with the Eagles where he collected 18.5 sacks, Hargrave caught on with the 49ers last offseason. He proceeded to start all 16 of his appearances with San Francisco, compiling 44 tackles and seven sacks en route to his second career Pro Bowl nod. Hargrave also started each of the team’s three playoff games. The 31-year-old started each of the team’s first three games in 2024.
The 49ers do have a bit of depth at defensive tackle, with Maliek Collins already rotating (or often playing alongside) Hargrave. Jordan Elliott and/or Kevin Givens could be in line for more snaps, and the 49ers could also turn to the likes of Sam Okuayinonu and practice squad DT T.Y. McGill.
Elsewhere on the injury front, Shanahan told reporters that Christian McCaffrey will travel to Germany this weekend to visit with a foot specialist (via Wagoner). The star running back has been sidelined with a pesky Achilles injury, and Wagoner says the player is expected to spend a few days in Germany hoping to get some kind of resolution.
49ers TE George Kittle Out Sunday With Hamstring Injury
The hits just keep coming to the 49ers offense. First, preseason injuries left San Francisco without starting guard Jon Feliciano and rookie first-round wideout Ricky Pearsall. Then, star running back Christian McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve after being unable to start the season healthy. Then, a calf injury to versatile receiver Deebo Samuel robbed the team of another weapon for a presumed several weeks. All this while the team’s other leading wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, struggles to find his groove after the preseason holdout for his new contract. 
Now, the 49ers’ star tight end, George Kittle, will be the next key offensive piece in San Francisco to miss time. According to a team announcement, Kittle has been downgraded from doubtful to out as he deals with a hamstring injury. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds to the report, claiming that the injury does not appear to be serious, and the team is hopeful that he’ll be able to return to the field in Week 4. Hamstring injuries, though, have a tendency to linger, and even if he is able to shake it off enough to play next week, there’s a chance that he may not be 100 percent if the injury persists.
Quarterback Brock Purdy‘s supporting cast now consists of Jordan Mason at running back, Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Chris Conley at receiver, and Eric Saubert and Jake Tonges at tight end. Mason has been phenomenal in his replacement duties for McCaffrey. His 247 rushing yards through two weeks ranks second only to J.K. Dobbins (266 yards) for most in the NFL. With Samuel and Kittle gone, Jennings enters Week 3 as the team’s leading active receiver with 101 yards over two weeks. He’s followed in that statistic by Aiyuk (71 yards) and fullback Kyle Juszczyk (59 yards). Kittle is the only skill player with a receiving touchdown this season for the 49ers. Saubert (26 yards) is the only other tight end on the roster with a target.
In addition to Kittle’s absence, San Francisco also announced tomorrow’s standard gameday practice squad elevations. Tight end Brayden Willis and defensive end Sam Okuayinonu will get the honors of joining the active roster against the Rams. Willis will add some depth behind Saubert and Tonges, while Okuayinonu will add some depth in pass rushing situations for the second time this season. Both players will revert back to the practice squad after tomorrow’s divisional matchup.
NFC West Notes: 49ers, Rams, Metcalf, Cards
Trent Williams‘ absence secured him a significant guarantee midway through the life of a six-year contract. The All-Pro 49ers left tackle had shown up to minicamp but staged a training camp holdout that surpassed one month. Williams did not talk to Kyle Shanahan or John Lynch for more than two months, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes (subscription required). This ended with Shanahan calling the disgruntled tackle to express the team’s need for his return, with Russini indicating that the eighth-year HC’s overture took place eight days before San Francisco’s season opener.
The parties ended up agreeing to their rework, which provided Williams with a three-year deal worth $82.66MM ($26.9MM guaranteed at signing), less than 48 hours later. Williams, who remains signed through 2026, is by far the 49ers’ best O-lineman and is gunning for a tackle-record 12th Pro Bowl nod.
Here is the latest from the NFC West:
- Brock Purdy will already be without McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel against the Rams, but the third-year 49ers QB also may not be able to target George Kittle in a game featuring concerning injury trouble for both California teams. Hamstring tightness led Kittle to a DNP on Thursday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The All-Pro tight end practiced Wednesday but appears to have come out of the workout worse for wear. Kittle, 31 next month, has dealt with a number of injuries in his career but has managed to avoid extensive absences since missing much of the 2020 season. Eric Saubert would likely step in as San Francisco’s starter if Kittle joins CMC and Samuel in being unable to go.
- The 49ers also recently worked out slot cornerbacks Tre Herndon and Chandon Sullivan, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. A longtime Jaguars slot player, Herndon caught on with the Giants in June but did not make their 53-man roster. Sullivan, who has played for the Packers, Vikings and Steelers in a six-year career, has been a free agent since March.
- A tweaked hamstring led Darious Williams to the Rams‘ IR list just before the season. Williams preceded a host of Rams regulars — including Puka Nacua, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila and John Johnson — in heading to IR before Week 3. Williams had been battling hamstring trouble this summer and will be eligible to return in Week 5, with ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop noting the Rams are not yet concerned the recently reacquired cornerback will need to miss more time. Hamstrings, of course, can cause uncertain timetables. For Williams, this is his first IR trip since 2021. It is not a good start to his age-31 season, as the former Super Bowl starter is attached to a contract that becomes a pay-as-you-go accord beyond 2024. Williams will be due $8MM if on the Rams’ roster by Day 5 of the 2025 league year.
- The Seahawks recently created some cap space by restructuring D.K. Metcalf‘s three-year deal. Seattle converted $11.88MM of Metcalf’s 2024 base salary into a signing bonus, freeing up $9.5MM in cap room, OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fizgerald notes. The team saw its cap-space figure balloon from around $4MM to $13MM-plus via this conversion, creating breathing room and inflating Metcalf’s 2025 cap number (now $31.88MM). Seattle added three void years to Metcalf’s deal as well; as a result, the team would take on $7.13MM in dead money if Metcalf is not re-signed before the 2026 league year begins.
- The Cardinals and Patriots each posted 4-13 records last season, but New England’s tiebreaker both provided access to the No. 3 overall pick (Drake Maye) and a better waiver position. The Pats took advantage recently, claiming recent UDFA tackle Demontrey Jacobs off waivers from the Broncos. Arizona had also submitted a claim for Jacobs, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss offers, only to lose out by one priority spot.