San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t originally see a real path for Deebo Samuel to rejoin the roster when he became available in free agency. A string of injuries has since changed that entirely.
Why the Fit Didn’t Initially Make Sense for the 49ers
Speaking with Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area on 49ers Game Plan, Shanahan detailed just how crowded San Francisco’s receiver room looked at the time. “When we went through free agency, I didn’t believe we were going to have the luxury to sign someone like Deebo,” Shanahan said. “We got Mike, we signed Christian Kirk earlier in free agency, we had a good rookie in Stribling, hoping Christian Kirk comes back healthy. Love D-Rob, and we had young guys in Cowing and Jordan Watkins. That made us really deep. It didn’t make a ton of sense, like, you got to bring Deebo here to be your one, two or three receiver.”
Shanahan said he was upfront with Samuel about that exact uncertainty before anything was signed. “If there isn’t the right spot for you, dude, if you come here, we’re going to use you. We got a lot of receivers, so we can’t promise you an exact role,” Shanahan said. “But one thing I know for sure, you could be our kick returner, possibly a punt returner. We’re going to get you out there, use you as a running back sometimes, a receiver sometimes. It might not quite be the same because we’re pretty deep.”
Samuel Signed Despite the Unclear Role
Even with that honesty about a limited role, Samuel chose to return anyway. “When he heard all that, he still got excited. He liked the opportunity,” Shanahan said. “He was comparing it to other places. I knew he was comfortable with us, and he ended up thinking it was the thing for him.”
How 49ers Injuries Have Made Samuel Essential
That original depth calculation has shifted dramatically since the offseason. Ricky Pearsall’s season ended before it even started, De’Zhaun Stribling went down in Week 1 with an injury expected to keep him out roughly 10 weeks, and Demarcus Robinson was hurt in Week 2. All of it has left Samuel shouldering a far bigger workload than either side anticipated when he signed.
“Now we truly do need him in those spots,” Shanahan said. “He’s always been good enough to be in that spot, we were just a lot deeper. I think it’s worked out well for Deebo that he gets a lot more opportunities now.”
What began as a depth addition with no clearly defined role has turned into exactly the kind of reunion Shanahan didn’t originally expect to need, with Samuel now serving as one of San Francisco’s most important offensive pieces, not by design, but out of necessity.
49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Drops Surprising Admission About Deebo Samuel