At the beginning of free agency, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters made a couple of big trades. One with the San Francisco 49ers that brought wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the East Coast, and a second with the Houston Texans for Laremy Tunsil, adding veteran protection to the offensive line. Samuel has the most questions of the two given his drop in production the last couple of years, but NFL.com analyst and former NFL executive Marc Ross says that Samuel is ‘guaranteed’ to ‘level up’ in 2025.
Samuel is one of seven players Ross believes will improve in 2025.
Despite his declining production over the last couple seasons in San Francisco, Samuel has been one of the most productive wide receivers since 2021, ranking ninth in scrimmage yards, tied for fifth in scrimmage TDs (35) and first in rush yards (958) and rush TDs (17) among wideouts. Yet, for as good as he was with the 49ers, an argument could be made that the seventh-year veteran is entering the best situation of his career after being traded to Washington this offseason. The change of scenery puts Samuel in an offense that is led by an MVP-caliber quarterback in Jayden Daniels. Also, he’ll pair with a true No. 1 receiver in Terry McLaurin to form a dangerous tandem in Kliff Kingsbury’s passing attack.
One of the difficulties Samuel faced in San Francisco was who played quarterback. During his tenure there, several guys were throwing the ball, and a receiver-quarterback relationship is a huge part of making catches. In Washington, Samuel will see a new quarterback again, but Jayden Daniels is not the same as Brock Purdy or Jimmy Garoppolo. Daniels will provide Samuel with a quarterback who can get him the ball, one who is a clear leader and elevates everyone around him.
In return, Samuel will provide Daniels with an additional veteran target outside of Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz. Relying on these veterans will allow younger players to work on their development while giving the starters a breather when needed.
The Commanders are sitting in a very favorable position heading into 2025. Their schedule will be more difficult, and they may not win as many games, but they’re going to look a whole lot better, and as long as they make the playoffs again, it will be a successful season. Samuel is expected to be a big part of that success.
