Oct 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) jogs on the field before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The recent struggles of the San Francisco 49ers got even more complicated on Sunday night after star wide receiver Deebo Samuel was hospitalized on Sunday night with pneumonia. But according to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, Samuel is recovering much better than anyone could have hoped.

After being hospitalized on Sunday night with fluid in his lungs, most fans naturally assumed that it would be quite difficult for Samuel to recover to the point of returning to the field for their Week 8 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

However, Samuel was released from the hospital on Tuesday after the scare. And according to Shannon, he still could potentially take the field against Dallas.

“He got in here yesterday,” Shanahan told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “Doing better than you’d expect with that stuff. We’ll see how he goes throughout the week.

At the very end of the conversation, Shanahan definitively answered yes when asked if Samuel has a chance to playing in Week 8.

It seems utterly ridiculous that someone could be hospitalized with fluid in your lungs and ultimately still suit up just a week later. But it seems like that possibility is at the very least on the table.

Naturally, fans took to social media to offer their shock at these comments from Shanahan.

“How does someone come back that quick,” wrote one fan on X.

“I had pneumonia about 14 years ago. It was awful and it took weeks for me to feel like doing anything. Guess I should have asked for whatever Deebo got,” another wrote. 
Ultimately, Samuel is an incredibly high-level athlete. So it perhaps shouldn’t be all that shocking to hear that he may play on Sunday. But if he does, it will certainly speak to his resilience as a player given the circumstances.

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.