Washington placing Curtis Samuel on IR

The Washington Football Team will place wide receiver Curtis Samuel on injured reserve due to a groin injury, head coach Ron Rivera announced Friday, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Samuel will be forced to miss at least the next three games.

Rivera ruled out surgery for Samuel and is confident rest should be enough to warrant the receiver's return, according to NBC Washington's JP Finlay.

Samuel signed a three-year, $34.5-million deal with Washington this offseason after spending the first four campaigns of his career with the Carolina Panthers.

The 25-year-old wideout was expected to be the No. 2 receiving option behind Terry McLaurin for Washington, but he has struggled to take the field since the deal. Samuel spent a duration of training camp on the COVID-19 list and suffered a setback with his groin after returning to practice this week.

Samuel has recorded 185 receptions for 2,087 yards since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2017. He put up a career-high 77 receptions for 851 yards last season.