The San Francisco 49ers will activate receiver Deebo Samuel from the non-football injury list Saturday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source informed of the move.
The wideout suffered a fractured foot in June and underwent surgery. The second-year pro has slowly made his way back while sitting out training camp.
The move to activate Samuel to the 53-man roster prior to cutdowns makes him eligible to practice and possibly play Week 1 or once he's fully healthy.
Slated as the top receiver in Kyle Shanahan's offense, Samuel proved during his rookie campaign that he can be a go-to force and YAC monster. He caught 57 passes for 802 yards and three touchdowns in 15 regular-season games, and added another 10 catches for 127 yards in the playoffs.
San Francisco's WR corps has been decimated by injury this offseason, sending several wideouts to IR over the course of the past couple weeks. Getting Deebo back to open the year would go a long, long way to stabilizing the receiver depth chart as the Niners prepare to defend their conference title.
