Deebo’s calf strain challenges 49ers as roster decisions loom

The 49ers will head into their Week 3 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams without Deebo Samuel, who suffered a calf strain towards the end of San Francisco’s 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Now the 49ers will be without their two biggest offensive playmakers for the foreseeable future with Samuel joining Christian McCaffrey, who will miss at least the next three games after being placed on injured reserve Saturday.

Coach Kyle Shanahan knows it will be a challenge without the two stars. 

“Always when you lose good players, it’s real tough,” Shanahan said on Monday via conference call. “But it happens all over the league and it’s a high part of this league and a huge part of the game.”

Placing McCaffrey, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, on IR opened up a spot on the 49ers’ 53-man roster that the Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have yet to fill. With injuries at both running back and wide receiver, the spot could be filled with either position.

“We aren’t sure yet,” Shanahan said. “We will discuss that and see what the best options are. We usually get three backs up for a game and we continue to have three backs up, so not sure if we have to do that yet, it depends what’s out there.

“Usually get five receivers up for a game and just the way our roster has been going and the way it has played out, we’ve ben able to get six. I don’t think anything is a true necessity, but having that room gives us the luxury to pick wherever we need it the most, and we will see  how we feel about that over the next few days.”

For now, Brock Purdy will need to lean on Brandon Aiyuk, who has been working up to an increased role on the offense following a lengthy contract dispute. Aiyuk was on the field for 61 snaps (87 percent) on Sunday, catching four of his five targets for 43 yards. 

Purdy and Aiyuk will need to regenerate the chemistry they showed during 2023, while also bringing Jauan Jennings into the mix. The Tennessee product has been clutch when the offense had needed to move the chains. 

Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and rookie Jacob Cowing round out the receivers room along with veteran Trent Taylor and Terrace Marshall Jr., who currently are on the practice squad.

Rookie wide receiver and first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall was placed on the Non-Football Injury list before the start of the season and will not be eligible to return to practice until preparation for Week 5 when the 49ers will host the Arizona Cardinals.

At running back, Jordan Mason has been carrying the load in McCaffrey’s absence and is joined by Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookie Isaac Guerendo in the running backs room, with scout team member Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

San Francisco could add to either position through the scout team or with a free agent, but it likely would not make an impact on who will suit up Sunday in Los Angeles when the 49ers face a very injured Rams team.

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