Deebo Samuel practices, `lifts the mood up'
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 21/2-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, included him warming up with fellow wide receivers and catching 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.
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 reappear 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.