Kyle Shanahan says the 49ers plan to play with (and without) Deebo Samuel

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Last season, the San Francisco 49ers lost their first game in week six in Cleveland while facing the Browns. WR Deebo Samuel started the game but exited early with an injury. The 49ers offense, which relied heavily on Samuel’s dynamic play, struggled the rest of the game. Many believed head coach Kyle Shanahan had a heavy game plan for Samuel, who was derailed by the star receiver’s absence, highlighting the team’s struggle without him.

Last week, the 49ers fell to 3-4 after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. Just like last season’s game against the Browns, Samuel left the game early and the 49ers offense struggled. Although it wasn’t known during the game, Samuel, who played just three snaps, was dealing with pneumonia. After spending several nights in the hospital, the sixth-year running back has returned to practice and is listed as “questionable” for Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, a crucial game that could determine the 49ers’ playoff chances.

A big question last week surrounded Samuel’s absence in the Kansas City game and how the offense looked. Was Shanahan’s game plan different with Samuel, only to lose the very player he would highlight? Some believe Shanahan needed to adjust better to his original plan.

On Friday, Shanahan spoke to the media and said Samuel has made remarkable progress since last Sunday. “He’s gotten better every day and I hope he continues to do that on Sunday,” Shanahan told reporters.

When asked if he has to prepare two game plans with Samuel’s availability still unknown, Shanahan said: “Yes, you do. But you always have to have that, anyway, in case someone wakes up sick on a random Sunday, you” You don’t expect, in case someone gets injured in the first half. So it’s something you always plan for, and when you know someone is questionable, it’s a little bit easier to plan for that way.”

Whether or not it’s normal for Shanahan, it’s clear how much Samuel means to this offense, especially with a fellow receiver, Brandon Aiyuk lost for the season with a knee injury. But can Samuel play and be effective just a week after battling pneumonia? According to his trainer, he is making progress with his endurance. “He’s gotten better every day,” Shanahan said. “I went slow with him; I didn’t push him that hard, knowing what the problem was and stuff. But everything went better every day and so I hope that continues on Sunday.”

The 49ers will need Samuel to help them win a big game against a conference rival. San Francisco would like to go into the bye on a high note before starting a stretch of challenging post-bye games. The 49ers are currently in last place in the NFC West.