Wide receiver Curtis Samuel returned to practice with the Washington Football Team for the first time since being placed on short-term injured reserve with a groin injury.
Samuel signed as a free agent in the offseason with the expectation he would start opposite Terry McLaurin while reuniting with former Panthers coaches Scott Turner and Ron Rivera.
Samuel has 21 days to practice without counting against the 53-man roster and can be activated at any time.
Samuel signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract in free agency.
The 25-year-old was bothered by the groin injury for parts of the offseason and tweaked the muscle during training camp.
Rookie Dyami Brown stepped into a bigger role for Washington with Samuel sidelined.
In four seasons with the Panthers, Samuel caught 185 passes for 2,087 yards and 14 touchdowns over 53 games (32 starts).
Turner, offensive coordinator in Washington, was with the Panthers as an offensive assistant under Rivera for Samuel’s first three seasons. He described Samuel as an intelligent “energy guy” with great versatility when the signing was first announced.
“I think he’s just scratching the surface on what he’s capable of,” Turner said.
