While the San Francisco 49ers are currently flourishing, they've been without Swiss Army knife Deebo Samuel since Week 14 after he suffered an MCL sprain during a massive win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But, it appears his return to the field is close. Kyle Shanahan dropped an important update on Deebo Wednesday.

Via Matt Barrows:

“Kyle Shanahan said Deebo Samuel (knee/ankle) has a chance to practice on Thursday depending how his workout today goes.”

Samuel also suffered an ankle sprain in that Bucs matchup and was forced to leave early as a result of both ailments. The Niners have won eight in a row and two straight with Samuel sidelined. However, his versatility offensively is extremely important to this team and when he's healthy, Deebo is a beast who can do it all. Considering he won't practice until Thursday if all goes well, it may be a stretch to think Samuel will play this weekend versus the Las Vegas Raiders.

While Week 17 isn't totally out of the question at this point, Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals is probably more realistic. Deebo has reeled in 54 catches for 612 yards and two touchdowns in 2022 while also rushing for 5.6 yards per carry on 41 attempts, including three scores. San Francisco is considered a legitimate Super Bowl contender, even with rookie Brock Purdy under center.

The most important thing right now is getting Deebo Samuel healthy for the playoffs. The 49ers have already locked up the NFC West title, anyway. Doing drills in practice would certainly be a step in the right direction.