49ers’ Deebo Samuel Hospitalized with Pneumonia; Left Game Early vs. Chiefs

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVOctober 21, 2024

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Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is reportedly the latest member of the San Francisco 49ers with a health concern.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that the 28-year-old was hospitalized because of pneumonia. He also had fluid in his lungs.

The veteran exited Sunday’s 28-18 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs early because of an illness and now has no timetable for his return to the field after this latest development.

This is just the latest setback for the offense.

Christian McCaffrey has not played a game this season because of Achilles tendonitis after he was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year during the 2023 campaign. Schefter’s report noted tight end George Kittle is now considered day-to-day because of a sprained foot.

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is not as fortunate and will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL and MCL during the loss to the Chiefs, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. What’s more, wide receiver Jauan Jennings missed the game against Kansas City with a hip injury.

Then there was rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who didn’t make his season debut until this Sunday because he was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco in August.

While the 49ers had realistic Super Bowl aspirations coming into this season as the reigning NFC champions, all the health concerns have led to an uneven 3-4 start. And the immediate future might be difficult as well as the team attempts to replace Aiyuk’s lost production with Samuel’s status unclear ahead of an upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Samuel is a key piece in the team’s offense with the ability to run the ball out of the backfield and serve as a go-to pass-catcher.

The 2021 Pro Bowler has 20 catches for 335 yards and one touchdown to go with 51 yards and a score on the ground through six games this season. He also missed a Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Rams with a calf injury.

San Francisco will likely rely even more on Kittle assuming he can play and turn to the receiver combination of Chris Conley, Pearsall and Ronnie Bell for much-needed depth following all these setbacks.