How the 49ers Will Use Deebo Samuel When he Returns from a Hamstring Injury
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Deebo Samuel is having a down season.
After holding out, requesting a trade and missing OTAs, minicamp and the first week of training camp, the 49ers rewarded Samuel with a three-year, $71.55 million contract extension with $41 million guaranteed at signing. Then he reported to training camp and appeared overweight. Now he has an injured hamstring. And when he returns, he might have a different and reduced role in the offense.
Last season, Samuel WAS the offense. He was the 49ers' best receiver and their best running back, and they signed him this offseason expecting that he would continue to dominate at both positions. But so far, he has dominated at neither.
Since Jimmy Garoppolo took over at quarterback during the first quarter of Week 2, Samuel has rushed from a grand total of 33 yards on 14 carries. Not a typo. And as a receiver, he has caught just 59.3 percent of his targets (a career low), while he has dropped a whopping 13 percent of his targets (a career high). Meanwhile, the 49ers' team passer rating when the pass goes to Samuel is just 70.5, and he's leading the team in targets per game.
The 49ers have been forcing the ball to Samuel to the detriment of the offense. Now they don't have to.
When Samuel returns, the 49ers will have Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell, which means Samuel won't have to play running back anymore. That's good news for him. He can focus on playing wide receiver. And the passing game doesn't have to go through him anymore, because it can go through Brandon Aiyuk or George Kittle or even McCaffrey. Which means the 49ers can reduce Samuel's workload and make him more efficient.
They should use him like they did his rookie season, when they gave him roughly five targets and one or two reverses per game. And he was deadly in that role. And they went to the Super Bowl.
When was the last time Samuel ran a reverse? How about a jet sweep?
It's time for the 49ers to rediscover the way they originally used Samuel -- as a complementary player. Not the main guy.
