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One star 49ers wide receiver back in, and another out. Maybe.
On Monday, Brandon Aiyuk of the 49ers was back on the practice field, after having missed the 49ers’ 30-12 drubbing of the Giants on the Thursday evening game in Week 3. That’s a positive, and it is likely we’ll see Aiyuk back in the lineup for Week 4.
But the 49ers’ other top receiver—Deebo Samuel—was not on the field for practice, throwing his status into questions as he recovers from a rib injury he suffered in an otherwise sterling night for him.
“It was good that he came back in,” coach Kyle Shanahan said of Samuel, who returned against New York despite hurting his ribs. “He came back in, which usually means you’re hoping it’s positive but I know he is sore right now and we’ll have to check that out.”
The 49ers have the luxury of two of the top receivers in the NFL—both Aiyuk and Samuel were ranked in the preseason Top 20 for receivers by Pro Football Focus. But keeping both healthy has been a challenge thus far.
Aiyuk ‘Superexcited’ After Deebo Samuel Play
Aiyuk was the receiving star of Week 1’s big win over the Steelers for the 49ers, when he went for eight catches and 129 yards, with two touchdowns. But in Week 3 it was Samuel, who had six catches for 129 yards and a touchdown in the game.
One of the plays, with just under 10 minutes to play in the third quarter and the score still tight at 17-12, saw Samuel take a pass from quarterback Brock Purdy at the 49ers’ 42-yard line, break two tackles from Giants defensive backs (including safety Jason Pinnock), get out of an ankle tackle attempt by a Giants linebacker, make Pinnock miss yet again, and finally get tackled at the Giants’ 35-yard line.
Aiyuk was on the sideline watching the play, which ignited the Levi’s Stadium crowd. He said seeing Samuel got his own juices flowing for Week 4.
“It was a little bit different from the sidelines because you can feel the energy of the team and in the stadium get picked up when a play like that is made,” Aiyuk said. “It was superexciting, it got me superexcited—I can’t wait to go out there and just make a play. I felt it from a different perspective. So I’m super excited right now.”
Samuel Was Missing Aiyuk
As for Samuel, he said sitting Aiyuk in Week 3 was necessary for getting his shoulder in good shape, but it was also awkward because it had been a while since Samuel had played without Aiyuk, who had not missed a game in his previous two seasons.
The two were drafted a year apart, Samuel having been picked in the second round in 2019 and Aiyuk a first-rounder in 2020.
“We love Brandon and we want him to be out there as much as possible, but I didn’t think we were going to risk putting him out there and putting him in danger,” Samuel said after the game. “It’s kind of like a next man up type of situation. For me it was kind of different because I was talking to Brandon last night, I was like, ‘Bro, like this is my first time being in a huddle without you’. It kind of felt weird during practice, but it was good to get the win as a team.”
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