San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel returned to practice Thursday with the NFC Championship Game looming in three days’ time.
Samuel went down with a left shoulder injury in the first quarter of last Saturday’s 24-21 divisional round win over the Green Bay Packers. After trying to return to the game, he went to the locker room and was ruled out for the rest of the night.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Samuel has a 50-50 shot to play against the visiting Detroit Lions this Sunday. Though the shoulder was not fractured, Samuel was dealing with a lot of pain, per the coach.
Samuel was limited Thursday. Everyone else on the 49ers was a full participant, including defensive tackles Arik Armstead (foot, knee) and Kalia Davis (ankle), linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles), safety George Odum (biceps) and cornerback Ambry Thomas (hand).
Samuel, 28, caught 60 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 225 yards and five scores in 15 games during the 2023 regular season.
The Lions saw rookie tight end Sam LaPorta (knee) return to practice on a limited basis Thursday. Wide receiver Kalif Raymond (knee), guard Jonah Jackson (knee), center Frank Ragnow (ankle, toe, knee, back) and corner Chase Lucas (illness) sat out for the second straight day.
