Deebo Samuel might return kickoffs for 49ers vs. Lions

With Deebo Samuel ready to rock for the NFC Championship Game, the San Francisco 49ers may deploy him in more ways than usual.

Samuel is known for being much more than your average wide receiver, but with all the chips pushed to the center in the NFC’s title game, 49ers leader Kyle Shanahan revealed it’s possibly Samuel could return kicks for San Francisco during the game.

“49ers receiver Deebo Samuel is good to go for the NFC Championship. And he might be doing more than playing his normal position,” wrote Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “On Friday, coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Samuel might return kickoffs.

“Before acknowledging that Samuel ‘might’ return kicks, Shanahan said of the topic, ‘I don’t know. We haven’t thought about that yet.’ Shanahan said Deebo will have no sort of limitation, and that he risks no further damage to his shoulder if he plays.”

That’s a huge change in Samuel’s status, as it was truly up in the air as to whether or not he would play after he suffered a shoulder injury in the team’s 24-21 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.

Before his exit from the game, he had two catches for 24 yards, and the change in the team’s offensive philosophy with him out was evident.

Will the risk of Deebo Samuel returning kicks be worth the reward? Time will tell, but the 49ers have made it this far, and they’re not looking to go home after the NFC title game.

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The 49ers have not won a game this season that Deebo Samuel didn’t complete and they’ve also seen notable dropoffs in scoring without him.

Against the Packers, the 49ers evaluated Samuel for a concussion but he was able to return after getting looked over. He then left due to the shoulder injury. Luckily, San Francisco eked out the win without him as Jordan Love threw an interception to Dre Greenlaw on the Packers’ final drive of the game.

This season, the former South Carolina star put up 60 catches for 892 yards and seven touchdowns. He added another five touchdowns on the ground with 225 rushing yards. Two of the 49ers pass-catchers finished the regular season with 1,000 yards – Brandon Aiyukand George Kittle.

The 49ers on Sunday will try to hold back a red-hot Lions team. The Lions are headed to their first NFC Championship game since 1991 after taking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in the Divisional Round. Dan Campbell’s squad beat the Buccaneers 31-23 and is now through the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.

They’ll be the visitors for the first time during the playoffs after beating Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Rams at home. The Lions’ win at home against the Rams last week was the franchise’s first playoff victory in 32 years, officially ending the league’s longest drought.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle contributed to this article.