The biggest storyline for the San Francisco 49ers next season will be how they avenge last year’s disappointment. The 49ers took the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime in Super Bowl LVIII in 2023 and were expected to contend in the NFC in 2024. But injuries and poor performance led to a 6-11 record.
While how the 49ers will operate under Brock Purdy’s new contract will be interesting to watch, the second-biggest storyline for the team will happen across the country as Deebo Samuel enters his first season with the Washington Commanders.
A fan-favorite in the Bay Area, Samuel’s relationship with the franchise ran thin and facilitated a trade in March. But early returns weren’t great when a video of him during OTAs surfaced last week. Samuel has yet to play in a game for the Commanders, but the critics have already come out in full force. It’s left his new team to defend their new receiver in hopes that he can find his All-Pro form next season.
Dan Quinn Defends Deebo Samuel After OTA Workout Video
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn ran to the front of the line to defend Samuel when talking to reporters on Tuesday. When asked about his first impression of Samuel, Quinn noted his speed during offseason workouts and how it can be a weapon for quarterback Jayden Daniels.
“Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten until [he was] out there how fast he is,” Quinn said via the team’s official website. “I can remember one time he just ran by somebody down the field on a deep ball, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I forgot about that.’ So it didn’t surprise me, but it was maybe [that] I missed talking about it to that space because I was easily reminded, he’s one of the fastest players on the team.”
Quinn’s comments have interesting timing as Samuel looked anything but fast during a video by 7 News DC’s Scott Abraham. Looking thicker and slower than he did with the 49ers, Samuel ran through drills at what appeared to be half speed, causing critics to speculate on his conditioning.
The video also appeared to validate a comment by Tim Kawakami, who speculated that one of the reasons the relationship between Samuel and the 49ers fell apart was that Samuel was 20 pounds overweight last season. Samuel denied the comment in a since-deleted post on social media, but it also came amid a shocking decline on the field.
Samuel was a top weapon for the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, collecting 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns on the way to All-Pro honors. The 29-year-old has only had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage once over the past three seasons, however, and he had one of his worst seasons as a professional in 2024, notching 806 yards from scrimmage and four total touchdowns.
While former teammate George Kittle and former rival Bobby Wagner both noted Samuel was working through group install in the video, 49ers fans probably can’t help but connect the dots. It will create an intriguing storyline that’s happening thousands of miles away and be something that will be observed all the way from San Francisco next season.