Curtis Samuel left practice early on Wednesday, and head coach Ron Rivera told reporters on Friday that the wide receiver is headed for the short-term IR.
Samuel, who missed months of training camp after injuring his groin in early June, ran a route in practice on Wednesday before leaving the field, and now it looks as if he won’t be back any time soon, missing at least the first three games of the season, which begins this weekend.
Samuel had participated in strictly individual drills from Aug. 15, when he was activated off the PUP list, until this week. The groin injury appears to have been reaggravated in a blow to Washington’s receiver core.
Listen to DC sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Washington Football team gear
Samuel, a former second-round pick by the Panthers in 2017, signed a three-year, $34.5 million deal with Washington this past offseason, and figured to be one of the offenses’ top receiving targets. He logged a career-high 851 receiving yards with Carolina last season.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1