49ers Announce WR Move After Deebo Samuel News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Oct 21, 2026 7:42 PM ET

The San Francisco 49ers wide receiving corps has taken more hits than any other unit in the NFL. Fortunately for San Francisco, it has not stopped Brock Purdy from playing at one of the highest levels in the league, but it has forced them to lean more on internal depth options than they would have liked.

San Francisco reunited with wide receiver Deebo Samuel this past offseason on a one-year deal worth up to $7 million, and it looked like it was paying off throughout his first five games back.

The 30-year-old former Pro Bowler hauled in 16 catches on 20 targets for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Unfortunately, Samuel suffered an injury in the third quarter during Week 5’s win over the Seattle Seahawks. He suffered a right hamstring strain and the 49ers held him out of Week 6’s matchup against the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football.

It was expected that Samuel would miss the primetime matchup given he missed an entire week of practice. He was looking to return in a limited capacity on Wednesday, but that was not the case as Samuel was listed as a DNP again.

However, the 49ers did announce that another receiver had returned and practiced fully, that player being Christian Kirk, per David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone.

Full list of #49ers not expected to participate Wednesday, which will be a walkthrough:

DE Nick Bosa (calf)
WR Mike Evans (Achilles)
WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring)
S Marques Sigle (ankle)
LB Luke Gifford (groin)
CB Upton Stout (shoulder)
S Siran Neal (neck)
DL Mykel Williams…
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) October 21, 2026

San Francisco added Kirk this offseason alongside Samuel, but he got injured at training camp and has missed the first six games. Logging a full session indicates he is certainly going to be back this Sunday barring any setbacks.

With Samuel not returning and looking unlikely to suit up this week, Kirk practicing and set to make his season debut should allow him to soak up some of the targets that would have gone Samuel’s way.

The 49ers still have a problem, though, as Mike Evans is also dealing with an Achilles issue and they remain without De’Zhaun Stribling, meaning they need Samuel back as soon as possible.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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