The San Francisco 49ers hope not to have an empty reception room for Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. With Brandon Aiyuk already out for the season, there’s a chance Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings will sit out, while tight end George Kittle will likely play.
Samuel is recovering after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia on Sunday. He practiced Thursday, a good sign, but head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t ready to declare Samuel eligible for the Cowboys game.
“The fact that he was able to be there and try some things is good news for me,” Shanahan told KNBR’s Tom Tolbert and Adam Copeland. “I remember coming down with pneumonia in my early 20s and about a week later I didn’t feel like I could even walk down the stairs.
“So there’s all different types of levels. He’s doing a lot better than what I’ve learned is that pneumonia can be a little bit different. He had a little bit of an unusual one, but he’s doing well enough that he was able to train today and hopefully that will be Getting better and better. Hopefully he can help us on Sunday.”
Jennings is dealing with a hip injury, and while he isn’t a candidate to go on injury reserve, it’s likely he won’t play this week.
“I expect to get him back after the bye week,” Shanahan said of Jennings. “I haven’t ruled him out for this week yet, but I would definitely say he’s questionable. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t come back after the bye week.”
Kittle, meanwhile, was dealing with a foot sprain, but was present at training on a limited basis on Thursday.
Tagovailoa returns to dolphin practice
Tua Tagovailoa was a full participant in practice with the Miami Dolphins on Thursday, putting the quarterback one step closer to returning for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Tagovailoa was limited in his return to practice on Wednesday – his first time competing since suffering a third concussion in two years in Week 2. Now that his status has been upgraded, Tagovailoa can receive full concussion protocol clearance after meeting with an independent neurological consultant.
Despite his recent concussion history, Tagovailoa said this week that he had no plans to wear a Guardian Cap for extra protection, saying it was a “personal choice.” He also said he needs to be “smart” about the way he plays in the future to avoid future injuries.
Toe injury that is bothering Bucky Irving
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were without running back Bucky Irving at practice on Thursday for the second day in a row.
The rookie running back has been a key part of Tampa’s offense this season. Irving has racked up 351 yards on the ground and three touchdowns in three of their past four games.
If Irving is unable to play against the Atlanta Falcons, Rachaad White and Sean Tucker will be assigned the workload in the backfield.
Here’s the rest of the Week 8 injury report. (Players will be added as teams release their reports.)
