The San Francisco 49ers are hoping to not have a depleted receiver room for Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. With Brandon Aiyuk already out for the season, there’s a chance that Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings could sit out, while tight end George Kittle is likely to play.
Samuel is recovering after being hospitalized with pneumonia on Sunday. He practiced on Thursday, a good sign, but head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t ready to declare Samuel good to go for the Cowboys game.
“Well the fact he was able to be out there and attempt some stuff, to me is good news,” Shanahan told KNBR’s Tom Tolbert and Adam Copeland. “I remember having pneumonia in my early 20s and I did not feel like I could even walk down stairs about a week later.
“So, there’s all different types of levels of it. He’s doing much better than, what I’ve learned is pneumonias can be a little bit different. He had kind of a little bit of an unusual one, but he’s doing good enough that he was able to practice today, and hopefully that will continue getting better. And hopefully he’ll be able to help us out on Sunday.”
Jennings is dealing with a hip injury, and while he’s not a candidate to go on injured reserve, it’s likely he won’t suit up this week.
“Expect to get him back after the bye week,” Shanahan said of Jennings. “Haven’t ruled him out yet for this week, but definitely would say he’s doubtful. I’d be surprised if he won’t be back after the bye week.”
Kittle, meanwhile, has been working through a foot sprain but was at Thursday’s practice in a limited capacity.
Tagovailoa returns to Dolphins practice
Tua Tagovailoa was a full participant at Thursday’s practice with the Miami Dolphins, putting the quarterback one step closer to returning for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Tagovailoa was limited in his return to practice on Wednesday — the first time he took part since suffering a third concussion in two years in Week 2. Now that his status has been upgraded, Tagovailoa can get full clearance from concussion protocol after meeting with an independent neurological consultant.
Despite his recent concussion history, Tagovailoa said this week he had no plans to wear a Guardian Cap for extra protection, saying it was a “personal choice.” He also said that he has to be “smart” about the way he plays going forward to avoid future injuries.
Toe injury bothering Bucky Irving
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were without running back Bucky Irving for a second straight day at practice on Thursday.
The rookie running back has been a key part of the Tampa offense this season. Irving has picked up 351 yards on the ground and three touchdowns in three of their past four games.
Should Irving be unable to go versus the Atlanta Falcons, Rachaad White and Sean Tucker will get the workload in the backfield.
Here’s the rest of the Week 8 injury report. (Players will be added as teams release their reports.)