49ers' Lynch: Samuel 'may miss some games' with foot injury
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch says Deebo Samuel's status for the beginning of the 2020 season is up in the air as he recovers from a broken foot.
"(I'm) not going to put an exact timeline on (Samuel's return) but it's fair to say he may miss some games at the start of the year," Lynch told reporters, according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury.
The 24-year-old was initially slated to miss 12-16 weeks after he underwent surgery in June to repair a Jones fracture. With six weeks to prepare for Week 1, the second-year wideout should be questionable for San Francisco's season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.
Samuel emerged from a young Niners receiving corps last year and became a favorite of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and head coach Kyle Shanahan down the stretch. He finished his rookie campaign with 57 receptions for 802 yards and three touchdowns.
The speedy pass-catcher figured to feature more prominently in 2020 after San Francisco lost Emmanuel Sanders in free agency. Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Hurd, Travis Benjamin, and first-round rookie Brandon Aiyuk would fight for starting snaps out wide should Samuel miss time.