In 2021, Sam Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel was one of the most consistently dominant players in the NFL. He led the league in receiving yards at 1,405, picking up an astounding 603 more yeards than his previous season high, and even scored six receiving touchdowns for the Niners as one of Jimmy Garoppolo‘s favorite targets.
And yet, the thing that truly made Samuel special, not to mention set him apart from the rest of the elite wide receivers the NFL had to offer, was his ability to take snaps from the running back position and attack defenses in a variety of unconventional ways. Samuel recorded 59 rushing attempts during the 2021 NFL season, the second-most by a wide receiver in the last decade, and was able to add 365 yards on the ground, bringing his grand total of 1,770 yards on the year.
In 2022, however, the word is out on Samuel, and opposing teams know what to expect from the do-it-all dynamo. Though both his attempts and yards per rush have increased from 2021 to 2022, the element of surprise is largely gone, and unless teams opt to play true zone coverage when he’s in the backfield, the chances of landing a mismatch against a linebacker is far less likely.
No, as even Kyle Shanahan has pointed out, the 49ers may have to find new creative ways to use their “wide back,” as opposing teams seldom want their opponent’s best player to beat them.
Kyle Shanahan Knows Deebo Samuel’s Element Of Surprise Is Gone
When asked whether opposing teams have cued in on how he uses Samuel in the run game during his Monday press conference, Shanahan gave a fair assessment, as transcribed by 49ers Webzone.
“Yeah, we’re not surprising anybody, that’s for sure,” Shanahan lamented. “Everyone knows how committed all 11 guys have to be when Deebo’s back there, because they know what he can do. So that always makes it harder when you can’t surprise the league, because everyone knows how good he is. But I do think there’s a few opportunities. He’s still got his numbers to a degree, didn’t get them last night. But I still believe if on a number of those plays if we can execute the blocks just a little bit better, I think Deebo’s got a good chance to get a big one and that’s why you get those opportunities because he’s the best guy on our team that has the chance to get the big one and we just have to get him back there when we have a better look for him.”
With teams like the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings placing their star wide receivers, D.J. Moore and Justin Jefferson, respectively, in the offensive backfield for the very same reason, it’s clear Shanahan’s cleaver idea is no longer a secret.
Samuel’s Week 4 Injury Status Revealed By The San Francisco 49ers
After “taking some shots” in Week 3, fans waited with bated breath to see if Samuel would turn up on the Niners’ injury report. Would the All-Pro wide receiver be held out of practice, or at least a limited participant? Or would Samuel be a full participant and practice unencumbered?
Fortunately, the answer was made clear on Thursday, when Samuel was not featured on the Niners’ injury report and thus was a full participant at practice. Assuming nothing changes over the weekend, it looks like Samuel will be a full-go for Monday Night Football.
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Opposing Teams Have Ironed Out The 49ers Signature Wrinkle