When wide receiver Curtis Samuel signed with the Washington Football Team this offseason, many felt 2021 could be a breakout season for the fourth-year pass catcher. Unfortunately, those expectations were halted when he was placed on injured reserve with a lingering preseason groin injury.
But after missing the first three weeks of the season, Samuel was able to return to practice on Wednesday.
Addressing this much-anticipated return yesterday, head coach Ron Rivera wouldn’t commit to activating his receiver for Week 4 — but he didn’t rule it out either.
“We’ll see how it goes on Wednesday,” Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “That’s the thing we’re pretty excited [about] as a group. The offensive coaches are pretty fired up to see exactly where [Samuel] is. If he has a good day Wednesday, we’ll progress and go forward.”
Rivera gave his assessment after yesterday’s practice as well, saying Samuel looked good and “showed his speed.”
“He’s an impact player, the kind of guy you want on the field,” the veteran head coach said, per Washington insider John Keim.
Rivera said Curtis Samuel looked good, but said they have time to decide if to activate him or not. Said Samuel “showed his speed”. Also said they’d increase his work tomorrow. Rivera: “He’s an impact player, the kind of guy you want on the field.”
— John Keim (@john_keim) September 29, 2021
While yesterday looked promising for the Football Team, Curtis Samuel’s activity in Thursday and Friday’s practices will likely play a major factor in whether or not he’s activated for Sunday’s Week 4 contest against the Atlanta Falcons.
Now that Samuel has returned to practice, Washington has 21 days to activate him before he goes back on IR for the remainder of the season.
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