4 injured SF 49ers who bounce back in a big way in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: SF 49ers Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel
It was a bad omen from the start when second-year wide receiver Deebo Samuel suffered a Jones fracture in his foot during impromptu team workouts during the offseason.
That injury forced him to miss training camp, as well as the first three games of the season. And after that point, Samuel suffered multiple hamstring injuries that ultimately landed him on IR and resulted in just 391 receiving yards and one touchdown over seven games after recording 802 yards and three receiving touchdowns his rookie season.
If there was some solace, Samuel’s absence opened up the door for 2020 rookie wideout Brandon Aiyuk to shine.
While Aiyuk developed into the SF 49ers’ true No. 1 receiving threat at the position, the team never got the chance to showcase both pass-catchers with regularity at the same time.
Expect that to change in 2021.
Samuel and Aiyuk should complement each other well. When one is taking the attention of opposing defenses, the other should be open. And if Aiyuk’s trajectory continues to climb, it’ll only mean more opportunities for Samuel to make a name for himself at the NFL level.