SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Speaking after the mandatory mini-camp practice on June 6, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Debo Samuel utters no words when asked to rate his performance in the 2022 season, calling him “terrible” in “every aspect.” “.
Samuel said he watched a video of himself with Niners coach Kyle Shanahan and came away upset at what he saw.
“Just going through the tape, it was, ‘Look how slow you look and how bad you look on tape,'” Samuel said. “I’ll never put anything like that on tape again.”
If his four seasons in the NFL are any indication, Samuel’s sought-after rebounding season is within his reach. First, Samuel won’t have a contract situation looming over his head like he did a year ago. Looking back, Samuel called the dead-end contract a distraction, saying he believed he didn’t work as hard in the off-season as he did prior to the 2021 season at least in part because of it.
Although it’s only been four seasons, Samuel’s career has evolved a bit of a biannual pattern. In the individual seasons of 2019 and 2021, Samuel has been at his best. In the even-numbered seasons, Samuel struggled to stay healthy and, by his own admission, didn’t live up to expectations.
In the 2019 and 2021 seasons combined, Samuel played in 31 regular season games, posting 134 receptions for 2,2027 yards (16.5 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns, while averaging 7.2 yards per rush on 73 carries with 11 rushing touchdowns .
In the 2020 and 2022 seasons combined, Samuel played in 20 regular season games, posting 89 receptions for 1,023 yards (11.5 yards per catch) and three touchdowns, while averaging 5.2 yards per rush on 50 carries with three rushing touchdowns.
Perhaps the trend is just a coincidence, but there’s no denying that Samuel is aiming to return to the 2021 form that was instrumental in landing him the three-year, $71.55 million contract extension he signed last August.
“He definitely gets along with all the great players, and I think every season, even if it’s the 1%, you figure out how to do things a little bit better,” Samuel said. “Whether it’s starting faster or starting later. Figure out ways to keep your body healthy instead of just lifting weights. Everyone has their own recipe. So I look at it as another part of growing up.”
While Samuel’s self-assessment may be harsh—he finished with 864 scrimmage yards and five total touchdowns in 13 games—the notion that he wasn’t playing at the same turbo pace that touched him first-team All-Pro nod in 2021 has plenty of merit. .
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Samuel reached a top speed of 20.37 mph in San Francisco’s playoff win against the Seattle Seahawks, but only reached 20 mph in a game twice and only touched the 19 mph mark five times in 16 games. , including the playoffs. This is a sharp drop from 2021, when Samuel reached a top speed of 20.62 mph (also against Seattle) but touched 20 mph in four games and hit at least 19 mph in all but four of the 20 games (including that qualifying). .
“The main focus this year is to get back to the summer of what I did in 2021,” said Samuel. “Not even the season, just summer and getting back into the groove of things and getting back into a routine.”
Samuel’s attempt to bounce back in 2021 comes against the backdrop of a fun time for the Niners in the job. Brandon Ayuk, who led the team in receptions last season with 78 receptions for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns, is awaiting a lucrative contract extension if he can follow it up with another big season. Early returns on that look positive, as Aiyuk has been a fixture in the team’s offseason program, with Samuel suggesting that Aiyuk “can’t be covered in a phone booth right now.”
“He will be among the top five in this league this year,” said Diodorus Lenoir of Ayuk. “It’s going to alert everyone. I feel he’s been underrated, and he’s really going to get the credit he deserves.”
Ayuk says he’s underrated but also ready to “take off” in 2023. If that happens, Niners will have to make a decision sometime in the next two years on whether they can afford to keep Samuel and Ayuk on what could be big price tags. .
But this is on the way. For now, Samuel says he’s not competing with anyone but himself and vows to get back in preparation for the first day of boot camp. And if Samuel can bounce back in form and join the likes of Ayuk, tight end George Kettle and running back Christian McCaffrey, the Niners offense has the potential to make life harrowing for opposing defences.
“I love Debo,” Kettle said. “He does a lot for us. I know there are plays he wishes he could go back to, and we all do, but I know when Depo is really excited. He’s a great footballer. I’m not saying he wasn’t excited last year, but I definitely think there is More fire under him this year. And I think he’s just the same. I think if he says that, I know he’ll go out there and try to be better this year this year, which I appreciate, because if Depo is trying to be better, that’s good. Only for the Niners.”