Ahead of the 49ers’ Week 4 contest vs. the Cardinals, WR Deebo Samuel was not fully healthy. He was dealing with a knee and rib injury that made him very limited. Luckily, the Niners have a workhorse RB in Christian McCaffrey and a number of other talented players on offense. 

Not many players in the NFL are as productive as a WR and RB as the All-Pro. After being used sparingly in Week 4, Samuel’s production should increase against the Cowboys. It could have been a part of the 49ers plan all along. They knew they had Dallas coming up in Week 5. Maybe they used Samuel less last week knowing they’d call his number more against the Cowboys.

Deebo Samuel was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday for the 49ers

From @GMFB: For the Sunday night game, #Cowboys standout defender Micah Parson (knee) and #49ers standout offensive weapon Deebo Samuel (knee) will both be at less than 100%. pic.twitter.com/4KhkbtqfAE

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2023

Last week, Deebo Samuel did not practice at all for San Francisco. With that, he was used sparingly vs. the Cardinals. Samuel only had three carries for six yards and did not have any work in the passing game. They know how much Samuel means to the roster and luckily they have talent all around that can help replace his production.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Samuel’s knee injury is not expected to be long-term. He did say that the 27-year-old still needs to get treatment done on his knee each day. After a small workload in Week 4, expect to see that change for Deebo in Week 5. The Cowboys are far and away the 49ers toughest opponent so far this season.

Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings are all simultaneously at practice for the 49ers for the first time in over a week before 49ers-Cowboys: pic.twitter.com/Ruvrcr5Vqv

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 4, 2023

Through four games this season, Deebo Samuel has 17 receptions for 245 yards and one receiving touchdown. On top of that, he has 11 carries for 54 yards and one rushing touchdown. Being able to practice on Wednesday was a sign that Samuel is trending in the right direction with his knee injury.