In what has been a trying week for the San Francisco 49ers thus far, they got some optimism from Thursday’s practice. Star Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel was a full participant at practice after being released from the hospital two days ago from pneumonia. Deebo Samuel played only four snaps in San Fran’s last game against Kansas City, and if he can be at practice TODAY, it should provide a boost they desperately missed last game.
Deebo Samuel’s Play So Far This Season
Deebo Samuel has had, for the most part, a decent season so far. He’s been his usual self in making big plays, breaking tackles, and generally forcing defenses to account for him in both the run and pass game. His statistics aren’t eye-popping, as he is averaging less than 56 receiving yards per game. What may be even more concerning is his yards per carry average as a runner.
Over the prior three seasons, Samuel averaged six yards per carry. So far this season, that number has been cut by more than half, to just 2.7 yards per carry. Not having Christian McCaffrey in the backfield to draw attention away from Deebo can certainly be attributed to his struggles in the run game, but the Niners offensive line hasn’t done him any favors in opening up sufficient lanes for him on his designed runs.
Above all else, Deebo Samuel is a jack-of-all-trades kind of player. He’s not a great route runner, nor is great or even good at getting separation against man coverage. What makes him special is when the ball gets into his hands and his ability to turn a modest gain into a game-changing play. Unfortunately for Deebo Samuel and the 49ers offense in general so far this season, they haven’t been able to generate enough big plays to win at their usual pace in the Kyle Shanahan era.
Samuel vs. Cowboys Defense
With Deebo Samuel slated to play after a full practice, it’s worth noting his history against the Dallas Cowboys. He has traditionally struggled against the Cowboys aggressive defense. In three career games, he averages less than 50 receiving yards and less than 40 rushing yards per game. However, the 49ers won all of those games, even if Samuel was only a minor contributor in most of those games, with only one career touchdown against Dallas.
With Brandon Aiyuk done for the season, and with Jauan Jennings looking more and more likely to not be ready for Sunday Night’s game, it is worth wondering if Deebo can step up against this defense that he’s struggled against. Dallas has two hyper-aggressive corners in Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, both of which are capable of giving Deebo Samuel major problems in man coverage. For Deebo, his game on Sunday is likely going to come down to if the Niners run game can get going, which should be the case against Dallas who has arguably the worst run defense in football.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of the season he’s having so far, the Niners desperately need Deebo Samuel back this week, and it looks like that is going to happen. Normally a player who fully practiced like he did would be all good to go for Sunday but given the Niners’ track record of being coy and vague with their players’ injuries, Deebo’s status should still be closely monitored.
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