The Washington Commanders have officially finalized their trade to acquire wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for their 2025 fifth-round pick.
Washington, which previously had just wide receivers Terry Mclaurin and 2024 third-round pick Luke McCaffrey as the only two players at the position under contract, has bolstered its offense with one of the most dynamic playmakers in the last six years. Samuel will be paired alongside McLaurin, who was drafted in the same year, to create more explosive plays and supply second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels with more options.
Last season, Samuel played in 15 games and had 51 receptions for 670 receiving yards and three touchdowns. In Week 6, he caught a 76-yard touchdown, tied for the third longest in his career. Samuel also totaled 42 attempts for 136 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
With San Francisco in 2023, Samuel scored 12 touchdowns from scrimmage and set a career-high in receiving touchdowns (7). In Super Bowl LVII against Kansas City, he caught three passes on 11 targets for 33 yards.
Samuel, a second-round pick by the 49ers in 2019, was a focal point of Kyle Shanahan's offense because of his versatility as a receiver and ball carrier in the backfield. He has 5,935 total yards on 536 touches with 42 touchdowns. He picked up 242 first downs in six seasons with the 49ers, including 72 in 2021. Samuel was one of the most explosive weapons in the NFL that season, amassing 1,405 receiving yards and 365 rushing yards. He was voted to the Pro Bowl and earn a First Team All-Pro selection for his efforts.
"We want to attack, man," head coach Dan Quinn said at the combine prior to reports of Samuel's trade to the Commanders. "So, however we can find ways to go do that, we will. … Finding guys that can attack, play in space, play with quickness, be violent in the cuts, those are things at all the spots -- running back, tight end, receiver -- that we want to do. And so, we're going to keep finding guys that fit that and can attack and be aggressive."
Samuel's most valuable asset is his ability to break tackles and create explosive plays after contact. For his career, he has 3,594 yards after contact, compared to 2,341 before contact, and has broken 73 tackles.
Those numbers bode well for the Commanders, who averaged the seventh-most yards per game and scored the fifth-most points in 2024 but often had to put together drives of double-digit plays to have success. The expectation was that they would address the need for players who could help flip the field in their favor. Samuel should provide some help in that regard, as he is the first player in NFL history to have 20 receiving and rushing touchdowns.
