Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr (1) after the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Deebo Samuel may not be the answer Commanders fans expect

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Washington Commanders traded for Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers in hopes that he would be another top target for Jayden Daniels.

Samuel isn't the same player as he was early with the Niners, but he can still be effective.

ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell thinks Samuel has a chance to bounce back with the Commanders, but it is far from a guarantee.

Samuel could struggle in D.C.

"Samuel's 1,405-yard campaign in 2021 was three full years ago now, and it's the only time he topped 900 receiving yards in a single campaign. Samuel had five plays of 50 or more yards that season, which is more than he had over the other seasons of his career combined (four). Even for a player with his talents, that sort of performance was unsustainable," Barnwell wrote.

"Samuel also had a wild rushing efficiency in 2021, scoring eight touchdowns on 59 carries. That hasn't stuck around either, although the 29-year-old still managed to score nine times on 121 rush attempts over the ensuing three years. Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury might not be as inclined to use Samuel at running back, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the Commanders lined him up there as window dressing for some of their quarterback run concepts.

"Leave that 2021 season out of the analysis and there's a relatively consistent player here. Samuel will create a few big plays out of nothing and run through a few defenders. He's going to drop a few more passes than you would like and miss a couple of games each season, but that's perfectly reasonable for a WR2. He will do well with the high quantity of screens and RPOs the Commanders ran last season, but don't expect his production to reach the 2021 heights."

Samuel is set to participate in the team's mandatory minicamp next week.