Deebo Samuel’s return to 49ers practice ‘lifts the mood’ as playoffs lurk
SANTA CLARA — Deebo Samuel danced Thursday to the rhythm of the loudspeakers’ beat, preening his once-wounded right leg and looking healthy with two weeks to spare before the playoffs.
A welcome sight, sure, but not a guarantee the 49ers will summon Samuel from a 2 1/2-game absence when they visit the arrhythmic Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
“Happy to see him out there running and stuff,” left tackle Trent Williams said, “but I’m more so like, ‘Slow down, brother. We’ve got you covered. (The playoffs) are when we need you.’ ”
They will need him for potentially his third trip to the NFC Championship Game in his four seasons. Same goes for defensive end Nick Bosa, who also returned to practice Thursday, albeit after just a one-day absence after falling ill.
Samuel’s return, with his right leg in a compression sleeve, saw him go through warmups with fellow wide receivers and catch passes during the media access window, all of which doesn’t assure a New Year’s Day role against the Raiders (6-9). The 49ers shouldn’t need his services, as helpful as he might be.
#49ers Deebo Samuel indeed practicing — dance moves and later routes. Does not mean he plays Sunday at #Raiders but great sign for playoffs pic.twitter.com/XauKLOPCUf
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) December 29, 2022
Only 18 days earlier, Samuel emotionally buried his head in his hands as he got carted off the field. His season looked in jeopardy. His right knee and ankle got twisted amid defenders 5 minutes before halftime of an eventual 35-7 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A day later, however, relief came with an MRI revealing knee and ankle sprains, rather than more significant ligament damage.
“You know Deebo, he’s a tough dude,” Williams said. “If they tell him it will take three weeks, he’ll try to make it two. It’s part of his makeup.”
Samuel didn’t magically re-appear on the practice field Thursday. He went through light workouts on the side last week and again Wednesday, earning clearance to put back on his No. 19 jersey.
“To have him back, it lifts the mood up, for sure, for sure,” wide receiver Jauan Jennings said. “It puts a smile on your face.”
“We all know what Deebo can do,” run-game coordinator Chris Foerster added. “Deebo is a real pleasure. When the time comes, it’ll be a treat to have him back.”
A year ago, the 49ers relied so heavily on Samuel for their playoff push, and he delivered in All-Pro fashion. After they blew a 10-point lead in the NFC Championship Game, he was asked if he felt he was the focal point for defenses, and he replied: “In my eyes, you have to stop everybody.”
That’s proving more true this season. The 49ers have extended their win streak to eight, even after Samuel’s emotional exit Dec. 11, when Brock Purdy was making his first career start at quarterback and heating up his connection with George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk, all while the 49ers’ league-leading defense continued to stymie the opposition.
So, Samuel doesn’t have to be the focal point, right?
“He’s such an electric scorer, you want the ball in Deebo’s hands and you want him on the field at all times,” Jennings said. “It’s just like Christian McCaffrey. We have a lot of backs but Christian McCaffrey is just different. It’s like that.”
Samuel, after signing a three-year extension in training camp, hasn’t repeated the regular-season production from last year, but he’s at his best when the stakes are greatest, and those are upcoming. As a receiver, he has 54 catches for 612 yards and two touchdowns (2021 stats: 77-1,405-6). As a rusher, he has 41 carries for 228 yards and three scores (2021 stats: 59-365-8). In last season’s playoffs, he was the 49ers’ leading receiver (10-154-1) and second-leading rusher (27-137-1).
“He was the hot hand. Not that we needed him to do that, but why not keep giving it to him? He’s shown to be very hard to corral any place he’s given the ball,” Williams said of Samuel last season. “It’s not like we don’t need that now. But we have enough playmakers to pick up the slack until we get him back.”
The wild-card round opens Jan. 14-15 with, as it stands now, the 49ers (11-4) will be hosting a game at Levi’s Stadium as the No. 3 seed, unless the Philadelphia Eagles (13-2) and the Minnesota Vikings (12-3) stumble and slide down the NFC ranks.
BOSA’S EDGE-SETTING PRESENCE
While Bosa leads the NFL with 17 1/2 sacks, he’s been a major factor for the 49ers’ top-ranked run defense, in that he “sets the edge.” That means, as defined by defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans: “When a lot of offenses are trying to stretch defenses and run the ball outside, outside zone and crack-toss plays. They’re trying to run the perimeter and get them away from the pursuit of our guys inside. Setting an edge is like putting up a stop sign: ‘You’re not coming this way, you have to go the other way.’ … (Bosa) can play fast, can react to something that changes on the fly, because he’s a very smart, instinctive player.”
RYANS ON RAIDERS’ QBs
Ryans said the 49ers “caught wind” earlier in the week that the Raiders might bench Derek Carr for Jarrett Stidham’s first career start this Sunday. “It’s part of the league. It happens. It’s no different if a guy gets injured. Next man up,” Ryans said. “Jarrett’s been a guy in that system for a while, and he’ll be able to run it efficiently, and he understands what (coach Josh) McDaniels wants from him.”
Stidham’s job will be to get the ball into the hands of Josh Jacobs, Davante Adams, Darren Waller and others. “We still have our hands full no matter who is at quarterback,” Ryans added.
PURDY SCOUTS RAIDERS
As Brock Purdy seeks his fourth straight win as the 49ers’ starter and their ninth consecutive victory overall, one defender in specific has his attention this week: Maxx Crosby, who has 11 1/2 sacks but also 81 tackles, including a NFL-high 19 for loss.
“Overall, Maxx Crosby is really good on the edge,” Purdy said, “so whenever they have a player like that, that you have to focus on, you do a lot of different things that sometimes make you slip up and not be ready for, in terms of what they do with their secondary and ‘backers. For us, we’re focusing on what we have to do to get better this week. It’s going to be a really good challenge.”
PRACTICE REPORT
Bosa and punter Mitch Wishnowsky returned to practice after being out Wednesday with an illness, which is what the 49ers described for cornerback Ambry Thomas’ absence from Thursday’s session. Wishnowsky wore a mask over his mouth in practice.
Also not practicing were quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (foot) and defensive tackle Kevin Givens (knee).