Deebo Samuel said he wants to bring his "dawg mentality" to the Washington Commanders. Recently re-signed running back Jeremy McNichols knows just how beneficial that can be for an offense.
McNichols, who recently re-signed with the Commanders on a one-year deal, already has experience being one of Samuel's teammates. He spent a year with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, when Samuel accounted for 1,117 total yards and 12 touchdowns during the team's 2023 NFC Championship run, but he already had an idea about how Samuel's explosiveness could be a problem for defenses based on one play.
The play came in Week 4 of the 2022 season when the 49ers were looking for their second win at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers had a 7-6 lead over the Los Angeles Rams late in the second quarter but were facing a third-and-3 at their own 43-yard line. Samuel had a defender close by on the five-yard route, but quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo decided to give him a chance anyway.
Samuel made Garoppolo right. He made a jumping catch over cornerback Derion Kendrick, shed a tackle from safety Taylor Rapp and took off. He weaved between linebacker Bobby Wagner and cornerback Grant Haley, who was turned completely around by Samuel's juke.
Samuel didn't face any more opposition until he reached the Rams' 23-yard line when Jalen Ramsey made a diving attempt at bringing him down. The 6-foot, 215-pound receiver slipped through that with ease and ran untouched for the remaining 23 yards for the touchdown.
The 49ers went on to beat the Rams, 24-9, while Samuel had six catches for 115 yards. McNichols, who was with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the time, remembers how impressed he was with Samuel's play style.
"It's consistent," McNichols said of Samuel. "You can see the attitude that he plays with, that fire that he plays with, and it's that passion. He just runs through defenders with how hard he runs. When he catches the ball, he's trying to score every single play."
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One year later, McNichols signed with the 49ers and got a first-hand look at Samuel and his skill set. The playmaking ability was still there, but so was Samuel's work ethic, competitiveness, knowledge of the sport and willingness to be a good teammate. McNichols knows the Commanders got a good player when they traded for Samuel back in March, both in terms of what he can do on the field and what he can provide off of it.
"Everything you see that he does on Sundays, he does that in practice," McNichols said. "He does that in his offseason training. He's a great locker room guy ... He's got a lot of great football knowledge that's gonna be able to help us a lot."
The Commanders traded for Samuel with the hope that he would add an extra dimension to their offense with plays like his 57-yard touchdown against the Rams. It certainly seems like an ideal match; Samuel knows how to make plays in space and will be catching passes from reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, who excels at throwing passes in such a way that allows receivers to make plays after the catch.
Washington is still months away from seeing how exactly Samuel will fit into its offense, but after seeing all the wideout can do, McNichols doesn't doubt that Samuel will succeed, no matter what the coaches ask of him.
"Every time he touches the ball, he's trying to score," McNichols said. "When he touches that ball, he can take it from any distance. It's really gonna be a great addition for us."
