49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. was ruled out for the rest of Sunday’s game against the Seahawks after injuring his left hamstring in the third quarter on a play that ended in a fumble. Samuel went to the sideline for evaluation, and the 49ers have not announced a diagnosis or a timetable. San Francisco trailed 26-21 at the end of the quarter. Samuel returned to the 49ers this offseason after a year in Washington, and the team was already without Ricky Pearsall, who is out for the season after PCL surgery.
The left hamstring has been a recurring problem. In Week 7 of 2020 at New England, he ran left on a carry, got pushed out of bounds, and strained it, a hamstring injury that cost him three games. He aggravated it on the first snap against Washington in Week 14 and missed the rest of the regular season. Coach Kyle Shanahan said at the time that every time Samuel came back he got reinjured. In February 2024, Samuel went down with a left hamstring strain in the third quarter of Super Bowl LVIII, was questionable to return, and was back on the field the next drive. He also strained a hamstring in Week 7 of 2022 against the Chiefs and sat out the following week against the Rams.
There’s also a precedent for an injury tied to a fumble. In December 2022, he lost a fumble on a run up the middle against the Buccaneers while his legs twisted under defenders, and he was carted off with what Shanahan said was likely a high ankle sprain. His broader lower-body history includes a foot fracture in 2020, a groin injury in 2019, and a heel injury and rib issue with Washington last season.
The 49ers play Monday night, October 19, at home against Washington, his former team, which gives him a little extra recovery time if the injury is mild. As a general guide, a Grade 1 hamstring strain can mean a week or two, while a Grade 2 can mean several weeks. San Francisco will be looking at its receiver depth, and the key signals are the team’s postgame update, whether Samuel has imaging, and whether he’s practicing this week.
