Curtis Samuel returns to practice, injured reserve window opens

ASHBURN — Washington wide receiver Curtis Samuel returned to practice Wednesday after missing time with a groin injury, and the team now has 21 days to activate him from the injured reserve list. 

If Washington does not activate Samuel to the 53-man roster in that window, he’ll be out for the season. But coach Ron Rivera said Samuel “looked good” and displayed his speed in his limited amount of reps. 

Rivera said the team will have to wait to see how Samuel responds in the coming days before knowing whether he can play as soon as Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. 

Previously, Samuel seemed close to a return at the beginning of the month — though the 25-year-old appeared to aggravate the groin injury at practice just days before the team’s season opener. That led Washington to place Samuel on injured reserve, keeping him out a minimum of three weeks. 

“We have 21 days still before we have to do anything,” Rivera said, “but it was good to see him.”

Rivera said the team will handle its approach to Samuel the same as before. He added the team plans to increase his workload for Thursday’s practice and see how his body responds.

Samuel has been dealing with the groin injury since June, when he was forced to miss the team’s mandatory minicamp. He also sat out practically all of Washington’s training camp because of the injury, though he also missed time because he contracted COVID-19. 

Washington signed Samuel to a three-year, $34.5 million contract in March, luring him away from the Carolina Panthers. Rivera and the coaching staff see Samuel as a deep speed threat that can help add another element to the offense when healthy. Rivera coached Samuel for three-plus years in Carolina.

Samuel caught 77 passes for a career-high 851 yards last season.

“It’s just good to see him back out there and go through a full day,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “I’m really excited to see him get back up to speed and help us offensively. Obviously, that’s why we brought him here. And I think he can be a big part of our offense.”