49ers: Deebo Samuel ruled out for Sunday’s season opener

San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver Deebo Samuel was ruled out for Sunday’s season opener.

The San Francisco 49ers were hoping to see wide receiver Deebo Samuel return healthy prior to Week 1. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case as he’s been declared out for the team’s season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

Samuel originally suffered a broken foot while training back in June and his expected rehab period threatened to cut into the regular season. To his credit, Samuel maintained that he would be ready to go come Week 1.

And that notion was seemingly supported when the team activated him from the non-football injury list on Saturday to reserve him a spot on the 53-man roster.

If Samuel was kept on the NFI list, he would have been forced to miss at least three weeks of action. The 49ers clearly believed and still do believe that he will be back before then.

Just not in time for Week 1.

Deebo Samuel isn’t the only 49ers receiver who’s been dealing with an injury.

His absence is obviously a major blow to a 49ers’ receiving corps that has been beaten and battered this offseason. Alongside Samuel, rookie first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk has been dealing with a hamstring injury that limited him in training camp.

Aiyuk has been declared “questionable” for Sunday’s game, but it does appear as though he’s on track to play. With Samuel out and Aiyuk possibly limited, the 49ers will be relying on a mostly unproven cast to lead the way come Sunday

Expect guys like Kendrick Bourne, Dante Pettis, and Trent Taylor to be thrust into the limelight with even a little bit of Richie James, who also battled injuries this summer, sprinkled in.

Look for Pettis, in particular, to make the most of his increased workload after the former second-round pick was lost in the shuffle following a difficult 2019.

Aside from Aiyuk, the 49ers did receive some good news regarding center Ben Garland. The veteran was also declared “questionable” for Sunday’s game but it seems as though he’s on track to play.

If Garland is unable to go, however, the team might opt to slide Daniel Brunskill over to center or promote Hroniss Grasu from the practice squad.

While the news regarding Aiyuk and Garland is mostly positive, the 49ers will certainly miss their No. 1 wideout come this Sunday.