Curtis Samuel Undergoes Surgery to Repair Irregular Heartbeat, Likely Out Week 1

Carolina Panthers receiver Curtis Samuel underwent surgery resulting from an irregular heartbeat, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday.

According to Rapoport, Samuel is "likely out" for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Earlier in the day, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said Samuel had missed practice because he was "dealing with a medical issue," per Bill Voth of the team's official website.

A Week 10 ankle injury required season-ending surgery and landed the 22-year-old on injured reserve.

Even before the injury, Samuel had endured a disappointing rookie year. Carolina selected the speedy wideout—who ran a 4.31 40-yard dash at the combine—out of Ohio State in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft to try to stretch the defense and give the team a versatile talent alongside Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey.

Instead, he had a tough time making an impact. In nine games, he had just 15 receptions for 115 yards and four rushes for 64 yards. He did, however, average 22.1 yards on kickoff returns.

Samuel's production had picked up in the weeks before the injury. He hauled in a season-high five catches and had a season-long 23-yard reception in the game he was hurt. Unfortunately for the youngster, the injury kept him from building on that momentum.

By the time organized team activities rolled around in May, though, Rivera was impressed with the progress his second-year player had made rehabbing.

"He's moving well, and we're continuing to increase his work load as we go through," Rivera said, via Panthers.com's Bryan Strickland. "He just needs to continue doing what he's doing and doing what the trainers ask of him. He's going to be fine."

Now, injury has hampered Samuel once again.

Carolina made it to the playoffs last year despite Samuel's missed time. This year, it will be less trouble to replace the versatile wideout. Not only is Devin Funchess on the roster, but veteran Torrey Smith and rookie now DJ Moore provide solid depth.