The final chapter of Deebo Samuel’s tenure with the San Francisco 49ers proved to be a turbulent and ultimately disappointing conclusion for one of the NFL’s most dynamic offensive weapons. Following years of blistering production and a reputation as a matchup nightmare, Samuel endured a challenging 2024 campaign that marked career lows across several key statistical categories. Despite playing in 15 games—matching his output from previous seasons—Samuel saw significant drops in production, posting career-worst marks with 44.7 receiving yards per game and just 3.2 yards per carry. Compared to his stellar 2023 season, he finished the year down eight touchdowns and 311 yards from scrimmage.
True to form, Samuel continued to battle through a litany of physical ailments throughout the year. A mid-season bout of pneumonia was the only health issue that officially limited his snap shares, and even that disruption was contained to a two-week window. Yet, on the field, the visual evaluation matched the declining box score. While he remained undeniably one of the toughest and most physical players at the wide receiver position, Samuel appeared a half-step slower in 2024. He failed to break tackles with the same explosive frequency that defined his dominant stretch from 2021 through 2023.
Football analysts and medical observers are left to wonder if his bruising, physical playing style and extensive history of nagging injuries have precipitated an earlier-than-usual physical decline. However, the Washington Commanders evidently harbor no such concerns. Demonstrating immense confidence in the 29-year-old dual-threat weapon, the Commanders traded a fifth-round draft pick to acquire him and promptly fully guaranteed his $17 million salary for the final year of his contract.
This trade sets up an intriguing tactical fit both for real-life football and fantasy sports. In Washington, Samuel joins an offense directed by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, a coach renowned for his affinity for wide receiver screens. Furthermore, he will share the backfield with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels’ dynamic running ability is expected to naturally discourage opposing defenses from aggressively crashing down when Samuel is deployed in the run game, potentially opening up lanes that were harder to come by late in his San Francisco tenure.
Nevertheless, expectations must be tempered regarding his downfield deployment. Analysts suggest that fans and fantasy managers should not anticipate a heavy diet of deep or intermediate targets, particularly given that Samuel struggled to create separation from opposing cornerbacks during the 2024 season.
The struggles of his final year in the Bay Area stand in stark contrast to his bounce-back campaign in 2023, when Samuel successfully re-established himself as one of the elite offensive weapons in the NFL. That season served as a middle ground between his monstrous 2021 breakout—where he racked up 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns—and a frustrating, injury-riddled 2022 campaign that yielded 864 yards and five scores.
During the 2023 season, 225 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns allowed Samuel to overcome a relatively modest target total of 89. He was part of a crowded offensive ecosystem in San Francisco, standing as one of four 49ers players to finish within a range of 83 to 105 targets. Across 14 full games—he missed Weeks 7 and 8 due to a shoulder injury and played just 20 snaps in a meaningless Week 18 regular-season finale—Samuel averaged 6.2 targets and 2.6 carries per contest.
Even as his statistical volume fluctuated, Samuel retained his crown as arguably the most difficult wide receiver to tackle in the entire league. He averaged a remarkable 10.0 yards per target despite an average depth of target (aDOT) of just 6.8 yards, fueled by an extraordinary 8.7 yards-after-the-catch (YAC) average. Among all NFL wide receivers, only Rashee Rice generated a larger percentage of his total yardage after the catch—a metric in which Samuel had consistently ranked in the top five over the preceding two seasons.
The inherent downside to Samuel’s style of play, however, is the physical toll it exacts. Operating with the brute force of a running back means Samuel absorbs significantly more heavy hits per touch than a typical wide receiver. Consequently, he has missed 20.5 percent of regular-season games throughout his career, a baseline durability rate that experts suggest is fair to anticipate as he navigates his late twenties. Persistent trade rumors that swirled around him for over a year added another layer of risk, though the eventual move to Washington ultimately injected new life into his career trajectory. Meanwhile, the 49ers clearly prepared for a future beyond their veteran wide receiver room by investing heavily in the draft, selecting wideout Ricky Pearsall in the first round and Jacob Cowing in the fourth round.
Samuel’s unique profile places him in a tier of his own among wide receivers when it comes to breaking tackles and avoiding defenders in the open field. Demonstrating his rarity, Samuel actually accumulated more career touchdowns on the ground (14) than through the air (12) at various points, while simultaneously proving his elite ceiling as a pass catcher during his 1,405-yard receiving campaign in 2021.
Yet, his 2023 and 2024 performances highlighted the hurdles that accompany his style. Injuries, fluctuating quarterback play in San Francisco, and a natural regression from his hyper-efficient 2021 numbers—which featured an absurd 11.6 yards per target and eight rushing touchdowns on just 49 carries—all played a role in subduing his output. Having missed 15 games over a four-year window, primarily due to lower-body, soft-tissue injuries, Samuel’s medical history has consistently positioned him as one of the riskier assets at his position, despite a talent level that would otherwise warrant a much higher draft ranking or valuation.
The roots of Samuel’s multifaceted utilization trace back to how the 49ers fully unleashed him following an early career marked by shifting roles and injuries. Selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Samuel proved that while he might not possess elite, burner-level deep speed, his 4.48-second speed in the 40-yard dash was more than sufficient to exploit defenses. Combining the prototypical size at 6-foot and 215 pounds and the ferocity of a running back with the refined route-running acumen of a veteran wide receiver, he became a matchup nightmare.
While his rushing work always set him apart, Samuel’s impact during his breakout years was heavily driven by chunk plays in the passing game, including multiple receptions of 50-plus yards early in the season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was rewarded for constantly evolving Samuel’s usage. His aDOT rose dramatically from a microscopic 2.2 in 2020 to a more traditional 8.4 in 2021. While he continued to see manufactured touches via screens and shovel passes, Shanahan began incorporating him more frequently in intermediate and deep routes. As injuries depleted San Francisco’s backfield later in years past, Samuel seamlessly transitioned into a full-time running back role, performing so effectively that the team maintained the package even after running back Elijah Mitchell returned to the lineup.
Foot and hamstring injuries threatened to derail his early development, costing him significant time early in his career, but whenever he stepped onto the field, he flashed the immense potential that made him a standout rookie. Even while playing through pain early on, Samuel consistently delivered high efficiency, averaging 8.9 yards per target and contributing reliably on the ground.
His journey to stardom began with a quiet start as a rookie before exploding in the second half of the 2019 season. He finished his debut campaign with 35 receptions for 575 yards and two touchdowns through the air, supplemented by 122 yards and two scores as a runner. Prorated over a full 16-game schedule, those numbers pointed toward an explosive future of nearly 1,400 yards from scrimmage and eight total touchdowns. Despite dropping a handful of passes, his efficiency was remarkable, yielding 14.1 yards per reception and 9.9 yards per target, alongside heavy involvement in the red zone.
Standing 5-foot-11 to 6-foot and weighing upwards of 210 pounds, Samuel entered the league with the physical stature of a running back. This build allowed Kyle Shanahan to immediately incorporate him into the team’s running rotation, utilizing him for regular-season carries and high-stakes postseason work alike.
Selected 36th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft out of South Carolina, Samuel entered the professional ranks with immense athletic credentials, including a 4.48-second 40-yard dash and a 39-inch vertical leap. Although injuries and subpar quarterback play during his collegiate career prevented him from ever eclipsing 900 receiving yards in a single season, his combination of strength, open-field elusiveness, and physical blocking quickly endeared him to the 49ers coaching staff.
Now, as Samuel embarks on this new chapter in the nation’s capital with the Washington Commanders, the football world will watch closely to see if a fresh offensive scheme and a dynamic young quarterback can help the veteran playmaker recapture the explosive form that defined the peak of his career.
