Deebo Samuel Makes Surprising Claim About Commanders’ Offense

He became a dominant playmaker in a system called by one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL, but Deebo Samuel has a surprising take on what’s in store for him with the Washington Commanders and new play-caller Kliff Kingsbury.

Samuel sat down with “Up & Adams” host Kay Adams on Thursday, July 31 and discussed the differences between the Kingsbury system and what he played for Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers.

Among several revealing insights, Samuel surprisingly predicted he’ll enjoy Kingsbury’s schemes more. The All-Pro wide receiver based his reasoning on “the up-tempo offense. You don’t too much know where the guys are gonna be lined up, so you have to adjust to that and just go out there and play.”

Samuel sees a more fluid and unpredictable setup with the Commanders than what he was used to with the 49ers: “In San Fran, we huddled, so they kind of get a glimpse of where I’m at in the split second, but with no-huddle offense, you never know where nobody’s going to be. Whether it’s going to be Zach in the slot, Terry in the slot, Noah, Jayden.”

The reference to fellow wideout Terry McLaurin possibly lining up in the slot is significant. McLaurin still doesn’t have a new deal and wants a trade, potentially putting Samuel into the role of No. 1 receiver, a role some doubt he can handle.

What a go-to workload looks like for Samuel will be determined by Kingsbury’s plans for the roving weapon. So far, those plans have been kept under wraps, but Samuel did divulge to Adams a few telling details about how he’s been used during training camp.

Deebo Samuel Provides Insight Into Commanders Role

Those details contained an intriguing note about where Samuel hasn’t been used too much by the Commanders. Specifically, the 29-year-old told Adams how much he likes the alignments Kingsbury is “creating for me. Whether it’s inside or outside. Haven’t done too much running back right now, which is cool with me.”

Although Samuel said he’s happy not to have spent too much time in the backfield, he’s aware that “eventually, I know that’s probably gonna come down the line.”

Time at running back will almost certainly be part of Samuel’s remit in Washington because it’s what made him a multi-purpose star with the 49ers. Yet, it’s still interesting the Commanders have scaled back this part of Samuel’s brief.

Kingsbury and his staff could be thinking about preserving a veteran who has taken his share of wear and tear playing a dual role. The Commanders will also be mindful of Samuel needing to catch more passes if they can’t reach a settlement with McLaurin.

Fortunately, the early signs are promising Samuel can forge a prolific connection with outstanding second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. This deep ball and smart catch, highlighted during camp, offers an exciting glimpse of what’s possible between this star-studded pair.

The question is how many plays like this can Kingsbury fashion using last year’s pace?

Commanders, Kliff Kingsbury Must Maintain No-Huddle Pace

Adopting the no-huddle early and often became a hallmark of Kingsbury’s radically different game-plans last season. As NFL Films Senior Producer Greg Cosell told the Ross Tucker Football Podcast, the Commanders “played more no-huddle snaps by a wide, wide margin than any team in the league.”

Kingsbury kept the pace high and had skill players stay on the move. Those things made defenses “simplify and declare in both of those situations, when it’s no-huddle and when it’s empty,” according to Cosell.

Making coverage easier to decipher for Daniels, while also leaving rushing lanes open for the dual-threat QB1, helped him become NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. The next step is maintaining Daniels’ upward surge.

It will be more difficult without McLaurin, but Samuel’s arrival will create new possibilities for Kingsbury. Particularly offering the OC a way to riff with the no-huddle formula by moving Samuel into more spots and hiding him in formations to keep defenses guessing.

The strategy can give the six-year pro a new lease of life in an offense better suited to this stage of his career.