Dec 3, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Commanders' Dan Quinn seriously impressed with 1 key thing from Deebo Samuel

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Joanne Coley | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 12:36 PM ET

Some fans looked at the Washington Commanders sideways when the franchise made a blockbuster move this offseason, trading for wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers. After a down year in production, the move raised some eyebrows.

But Commanders head coach Dan Quinn wasn't concerned because he already knew exactly what kind of player they were getting.

Quinn had spent several seasons before arriving in Washington, across the field from Samuel, as the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator, building game plans to try to slow him down.

But once Samuel arrived in Ashburn and took the field during offseason workouts, Quinn was quickly reminded of a key trait that somehow slipped his mind. "Somewhere along the way, I'd forgotten until [he was] out here how fast he is," Quinn said, per Commanders.com.

After an up-and-down season offensively, the Commanders knew they needed to make some serious adjustments. Adding a player like Samuel to the unit made perfect sense. At 6 feet and 215 pounds, he's a blend of physicality and speed, and his numbers back it up. Over his six-year NFL career, Samuel has broken 78 tackles, turning them into 3,594 yards after contact.

"He was such a difficult person to tackle that you spent so much time, 'How are you going to tackle this person?'" Quinn said. Samuel ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in 2019. While not the fastest among wide receivers, it's more than enough.

Fans got a preview of what's to come during the team's mandatory minicamp when a video posted on social media showed Samuel juking defenders and sprinting in for a touchdown. But it was another play that stuck with Quinn.

"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,'" Quinn said with a laugh. "So…it didn't surprise me, but it reminded me he's one of the fastest players on the team."

Samuel made it tough for Quinn's defense during their previous meetings, totaling 171 yards on 16 touches across two games. Now, instead of worrying about how to stop him, Quinn gets to watch offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury find new ways to use him.

"He's got a natural feel for things as he's figuring this offense out," Kingsbury said. "But [I] couldn't be more thrilled having seen it up close and personal for those years to actually get to work with him."

With Samuel now in burgundy and gold, Quinn's challenge is no longer getting the ball out of his hands but creating as many opportunities as possible to get the ball into them.