Jul 23, 2025; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) walks out of team headquarters onto the fields prior to practice on day one of training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Deebo Samuel needed just one preseason play to get Commanders fans buzzing

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 12:17 PM ET

This offseason, the Washington Commanders were looking to build off their 2024 NFC Championship run with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and first-year head coach Dan Quinn.

While the success they saw in 2024 should be celebrated, the franchise is looking for more. And with that, they went all-in this offseason by adding talent on both sides of the ball. One of those additions is wide receiver Deebo Samuel, whom the Commanders traded for.

Samuel hit the ground running once he arrived in Washington, and got off to a hot start in his first game action as a Commander in Monday night's preseason game against the Bengals. Samuel got his first play from scrimmage with starters playing, and he immediately made an explosive play on a jet sweep that went for nearly 20 yards and had the fans rocking.

DEEEEBO! His first touch goes for 19 yards!

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Answering the Biggest Question

Samuel's jet sweep is the only action he received on the night, as Quinn pulled his starters relatively early in the matchup that they would go on to lose 31-17.

Preseason exhibition games don't have any meaning when it comes to wins and losses, but it is a chance to fine-tune things ahead of the start of the regular season.

The starters looked to be in mid-season form on their lone drive of the game, and it seems as though Samuel will have a solid featured role within the offense based on what we saw Monday night.

The biggest question mark surrounding Samuel once he was traded for was whether or not offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury would use him similarly to when he was in San Francisco with the 49ers.

Monday's opening play seems to have answered that question for us. Samuel is a gadget player, as he can be utilized in several ways to gain an advantage over the defense. While he will still get looks like he did in San Fran, I wouldn't be shocked to see his role as a more traditional wideout grow this season alongside star wide receiver Terry McLaurin.