Now that the outspoken Deebo Samuel is in a new situation with the Washington Commanders, the former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver has a major spotlight on him.
As Samuel joined one of the NFC’s biggest risers, the star wideout is expected to give them a big enough boost to help the Commanders get over the hump and potentially into the Super Bowl. As Samuel works through the early process of making such a large change in his career, NFL fans have found a reason to spread a negative narrative around the versatile threat.
Earlier this week, a video of Samuel running through a route at mandatory minicamp went viral for reasons that weren’t ideal. Many have suggested that Samuel looked noticeably heavier than usual, and seemed to be moving slower than what fans are used to seeing.
Did Commanders head coach Dan Quinn catch wind of the viral narrative? He didn’t comment on that exactly, but he did go out of his way to praise Samuel for his speed and ability to break away from defenders in the secondary after witnessing Samuel up close on his team for the first time this week.
“Deebo, I think, has been very impressive to me for maybe a different reason than I thought,” Quinn told reporters this week.
“He was such a difficult person to tackle that you spent so much time [thinking], ‘How are you going to tackle this person?’ And somewhere along the way, I’ve forgotten how fast he is. And so, sometimes when you’re playing against the receiver, you say, ‘Man, you better either get him at the line or you better be on top of him.’ With him so many times, there were so many run after catch plays that we had a tackling plan, and how would you go about it? Then I can remember one time he just ran by somebody down the field on a deep ball and I was like, ‘Yeah, I forgot about that.’ It didn’t surprise me, but it was maybe I missed talking about it to that space because it was easily reminded, he’s one of the fastest players on the team.”
Samuel has already found success in the NFL as a double-threat on offense. After 81 games with the 49ers, the veteran has produced 4,792 yards for 22 touchdowns in the receiving game, while rushing for 1,143 yards and 20 touchdowns.
One viral clip online caused many to suggest the peak has been surpassed. Quinn wanted to remind the public that Samuel is still very much the offensive threat they spent a fifth-round pick on this offseason.
