49ers general manager John Lynch acknowledged Tuesday that Samuel (foot) could miss multiple games, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports. "Not going to put an exact timeline on it," Lynch said. "But it's fair to say [Samuel] may miss some games at the start of the year."
Samuel had surgery June 18 to address a Jones fracture, with early reports putting his recovery/rehab timeline at anywhere from eight to 16 weeks. Matt Barrows of the Athletic has mentioned a narrower window of 10-to-12 weeks, which still would put Samuel's Week 1 availability in serious question. With the second-year pro in danger of missing games, the Niners may need significant September contributions from Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne, among others.