Getty Image / Michael Owens
It has been a nightmare season for Deebo Samuel and the San Francisco 49ers. Injuries have piled up and the team is off to a mediocre 3-4 start.
Somehow, things got even worse for the team on Monday evening, just hours after it was reported that Brandon Aiyuk would be out for the season with a torn ACL, it was reported. Deebo Samuel was hospitalized with pneumonia.
An NFL player being hospitalized with pneumonia is something that you rarely hear about. But, Deebo Samuel was sick on Sunday during the team’s loss against the Chiefs and was limited. At one point, the FOX broadcast showed him with an oxygen mask on while Samuel was on the sidelines. That, in and of itself, is not rare in the NFL. But, clearly, Samuel was really struggling.
The illness that sidelined Deebo Samuel yesterday is pneumonia. He's in the hospital
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 21, 2024
The 49ers sent Samuel to the hospital Sunday night once they discovered fluid in his lungs (pneumonia)
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 21, 2024
First off, that’s a very scary situation for Deebo and his loved ones. Hopefully he can heal up quickly and return to full health soon.
As far as from a football perspective, this is a disaster for the San Francisco 49ers and their outlook. A loaded group of weapons was already without Christian McCaffrey. Now, it’s without Brandon Aiyuk for the season, and Deebo Samuel for an indefinite amount of time. JaJuan Jennings is also battling injuries. And, at 3-4, they do not have a huge buffer to weather injuries for a few weeks. Thankfully, the NFC West isn’t very good, but this is a huge blow. Brock Purdy was atrocious on Sunday without his top weapons.
The 49ers play the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in Week 8, and then have their Bye Week. That Bye Week could be well-timed for Deebo Samuel to only miss one game.