Ron Rivera is optimistic that Curtis Samuel will be back in the line-up soon

Wide receiver Curtis Samuel hasn’t participated in team action this week, but head coach Ron Rivera is confident the dynamic playmaker will return prior to Week 1.

On August 15th, wide receiver Curtis Samuel was removed from the PUP list, and on that morning, he went through individual drills with his teammates before being held out of full, 11-on-11 action. Since then, he hasn't repeated that workload as he attempts to come back from a groin injury.

That was the case once again at practice on Thursday, but there's optimism that he’ll be ready for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

"That speed and quickness is coming back,” said Rivera. “That's one thing that's really a big part of his game, is how quick he is, how fast he is. He was catching balls out there on the side and looks like that's really coming back as well. Just getting the rhythm back, that's a big plus as well. Like I said, I'm interested and excited to see him on Monday as we integrate him back into what we do."

Once Curtis Samuel is healthy enough to play, the one-two punch combination between him and Terry McLaurin can be frightening to defenses. But the key will be health. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t worried about the lack of on field chemistry between him and Samuel.

“For me, probably less of an impact for me than maybe a younger guy, just because I've had to throw to so many different guys and I've had to quickly figure out what all these guys are like,” said quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. “Curtis is a guy I've watched a lot of film on. I've seen him play plenty and I'm excited for him to get out there and throw it to him, but I don't think it'll take much time at all.”