49ers player Deebo Samuel will be out for several weeks due to a calf strain

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The San Francisco 49ers will be without running back Christian McCaffrey for at least three games and will also be without wide receiver Deebo Samuel for the next few weeks.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Samuel suffered a calf strain in Sunday's 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and will “probably be out for a couple of weeks.”

According to Shanahan, Samuel sustained the injury just over two minutes before the end of the game.

“He told me he thinks he did it when he caught the ball. I think it was the third to last play,” Shanahan said. “They had a blitz in the red zone. He caught the hot route and broke in. He says he thinks he did it on that play.”

With 2:18 left in the fourth quarter, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy threw a short ball to his right to Samuel, who had a two-yard gain. Television replays showed Samuel grimacing and slowly moving toward the sideline, protecting his right leg, just before the two-minute warning.

After missing a snap, Samuel reentered the game and caught a deflected return pass that cost 9 yards on San Francisco's final offensive play before kicking a field goal. Samuel finished the game with eight catches for 110 yards and two carries for minus-10 yards.

With Samuel out, the Niners will be without their two most versatile offensive players. McCaffrey is on the injured list with Achilles tendinitis and will miss at least the next three games.

“When you lose really good players, it's always tough,” Shanahan said. “But that happens all over the league and it's a big part of this league and this game. We have to deal with it.”

For Samuel, it's the latest in a series of frustrating, short-term injuries that have cost him games throughout his career. Samuel has never played a full season since arriving in 2019, missing time with groin, foot, hamstring, ankle, knee and shoulder injuries.

Currently, San Francisco has a group of receivers on the active roster, including Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Jacob Cowing, Chris Conley and Ronnie Bell, to fill the void left by Samuel. The 49ers also have a roster spot open due to McCaffrey being placed on the injured list.

Samuel had just finished a strong training camp and Shanahan was pleased with what he had seen from him in the two games prior to his injury.

“I thought he made some really good catches,” Shanahan said. “Deebo had to climb the ladder a couple of times and made some impressive catches and I thought he played one of his better games against the Jets. So I don't know if I would say it was one of his better games compared to the others, but I thought he played really well.”