Washington Football Team wide receiver Curtis Samuel not only will miss Sunday’s season opener, but he will miss at least the first three games of the season. Washington placed Samuel on injured reserve with a lingering groin injury, according to head coach Ron Rivera.
Samuel has been hampered by the injury since minicamp. He missed the majority of training camp and all three preseason games. He returned on Monday with optimism for his availability. However, he suffered a setback on Wednesday during individual drills before practice.
Rivera stressed Samuel will not require surgery. But the short-term IR placement will allow him to rest and get back into the swing of things. He also dealt with COVID-19 while nursing the groin injury.
Samuel will be required to miss at least the first three games. Washington will have a 21-day window after the three games to activate him or keep him on season-ending IR.
His loss will force Washington’s offensive coordinator Scott Turner to readjust his plans in the passing game. Samuel signed a three-year, $34.5 million with Washington in March with hopes of being a capable No. 2 wide receiver to complement star Terry McLaurin.
However, Washington will have to turn to rookie Dyami Brown and/or veteran Adam Humphries to fill the void Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers and beyond for the foreseeable future.
