It’s been an eventful offseason for new Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel. After being traded from the San Francisco 49ers to Washington in March, Samuel found himself on a new team for the first time in his NFL career. Samuel spent his first six seasons with the 49ers, during which he developed into one of the NFL’s top offensive weapons.
It’s a fresh start for the motivated Samuel. Entering a contract year, Samuel is looking to earn an extension from the Commanders. Samuel turned 29 in January, and there have been concerns regarding his injury history and conditioning.
However, since arriving in Washington, Samuel participated in the entire offseason program, building chemistry with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Jayden Daniels. He is in outstanding shape, yet detractors somehow find an issue with Samuel.
Last month, a video surfaced from Commanders’ OTAs where Samuel jogged during a route. It was one route. Of course, social media engagement accounts attempted to make it a bigger deal than it was. Samuel’s former 49er teammate and friend, George Kittle, shut it down.
Then, over the weekend, social media clips surfaced in which Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens called Samuel “fat” and added that he was “about two chicken nuggets from tipping the scales.”
The comments were uncalled for and unfair.
Owens wasn’t the only former NFL player to take shots at Samuel. Longtime Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham couldn’t help himself either, saying Samuel “has to get in shape first.”
Graham retired this offseason and will not be lining up to play Samuel and the Commanders twice in 2025.
Whether the latest comments were playful or not, they continue a recent trend of derogatory comments made at Samuel’s expense. For the most part, the comments come from one specific direction: Eagles’ fans.
Why? In three career games against Philadelphia, Samuel has 15 receptions, 244 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns and 40 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Samuel looked excellent against the Eagles in his last two games against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Samuel will face Philadelphia twice, both late in the season, potentially with the NFC East on the line. As if Samuel didn’t have enough reasons to be motivated, don’t you think he’ll have those games circled?
With training camp set to begin in three weeks, a video surfaced on Monday showing Samuel working out.
Samuel looks pretty good. And, no offense to Brock Purdy and San Francisco’s quarterbacks in recent years, but Daniels is already a superstar. With the combination of Kingsbury’s creativity and Daniels’ skills, Samuel could have a career rebirth in Washington.
Eagles fans have taken issue with Daniels, too, notably after he led them to a win over Philly in Week 16 last season. Philadelphia is on top of the NFC East, but the Commanders are no longer pushovers and aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Samuel is not only motivated to earn a new contract, but he’s also ready to shut up critics by proving he remains one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players.
Don’t bet against him.
