After making a semi-momentous return to practice on Monday as he attempts to come back from a groin injury, Curtis Samuel told reporters that his "goal is when I’m out there, I’m going to stay out there." 

Well, what happened on Wednesday sure seemed like it'll prevent Samuel from achieving that goal.

The wideout started going through individual drills with his fellow position mates to begin practice in Ashburn, but on one fairly relaxed route, he clearly felt something he wasn't hoping to feel and ended up removing himself from the proceedings. 

Here's footage of the discouraging sequence:

Samuel was then spotted talking with head trainer Ryan Vermillion, who tried to help Samuel stretch a bit before eventually escorting him to the side field that he's spent a lot of time on during the summer. 

Afterward, coach Ron Rivera provided a short update about Samuel's health in a presser.

"What we'll do is continue to monitor him, see how he is tomorrow," Rivera said. "He came out, warmed up, wasn't quite feeling as well as we hoped he would, so we'll just continue to monitor him and see how he is tomorrow."

Washington's last practice of the week that is open to the media will take place on Thursday. Samuel was officially listed as a "DNP" on the squad's injury report and he was the only player on the report.

With the Burgundy and Gold set to open the season this Sunday against the Chargers and then quickly turn around for a matchup with the Giants the following Thursday, it's natural to wonder whether Rivera and co. are considering putting the pass catcher on short-term injured reserve. 

Doing so would mean Samuel could be more patient in his rehab — a rehab that has spanned months at this point — and be eligible to play again in Week 4 if he's in a better place physically.

Rivera, though, didn't want to publicly discuss that option yet.

"I don't want to speculate on that, I don't want anybody thinking that's what we're going to do," Rivera said.

If Samuel were unable to suit up versus Los Angeles, both Dyami Brown and Cam Sims would see more snaps on the outside for the offense. Adam Humphries, meanwhile, would be heavily involved out of the slot.

"You feel really good about who Cam Sims is, without a doubt in my mind," Rivera said. "Dyami is a guy who can run and is a big play waiting to happen."

Washington's receiving corps has improved an enormous amount over what it was in 2020, even without Samuel in the mix.

Samuel, though, is skilled enough to elevate the group another tier or two when compared to the rest of the league on his own, but for that to happen, he has to be at 100 percent. Obviously, that isn't the case right now. Kickoff is set to take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Coverage begins with Washington Football Kickoff live on NBC Sports Washington and the MyTeams app at 12 p.m. and Washington Football Postgame Live immediately following the game.