49ers GM shares encouraging Deebo Samuel update for Lions game

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch offered an encouraging update regarding the availability of dual-threat offensive weapon Deebo Samuel for this Sunday's NFC Championship Game versus the Detroit Lions. 

"Deebo's doing really well in his rehab, I'll tell you that," Lynch said during a Thursday morning appearance on San Francisco sports radio station KNBR about Samuel's sore shoulder, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "We've been encouraged by the early signs. We did the scans and all that. We got good news there. And then it's kind of, 'Okay, what's his pain? What's his range of motion?'"

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy noticeably struggled to play in rainy conditions during this past Saturday's 24-21 divisional playoff win over the Green Bay Packers after Samuel exited that contest with a shoulder injury in the first quarter. 

According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk spoke with reporters Wednesday and insisted he believes Samuel will take the Levi's Stadium field this Sunday with a trip to Super Bowl LVIII on the line. 

"Those things continue to improve," Lynch added about Samuel's range of motion in the shoulder. "He did some work yesterday, off to the side. We'll see if we can advance that today. So I think [it's a] very much a fluid situation. It's the NFC Championship, though, and I can promise you this: Deebo is going to be doing everything he can, and he'll be wanting to play by the end." 

Purdy was a mixed bag without Samuel against the Packers and could've had at least two passes intercepted if not for drops. The 24-year-old also completed six-of-seven pass attempts for 47 yards during a late game-winning drive, and outlets such as RotoWire continue to show that Purdy should enjoy relatively pleasant weather versus Detroit this Sunday. 

"...I think there's still a lot of time left in this week, and we're a better team when he's out there, so we're going to do everything in our power, he's going to do everything in his power, to have him out there," Lynch continued while speaking about Samuel.

Following Lynch's appearance on the "Murph and Markus" program, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the 49ers as 7.5-point favorites against the Lions.