Deebo Samuel’s redemption charge is already turning heads at Commanders camp

The Washington Commanders believe they have something special on their hands with Deebo Samuel Sr., and the veteran wide receiver is already making his presence felt in the best possible way.

Samuel was cast aside by the San Francisco 49ers for nothing more than a fifth-round selection this offseason. Adam Peters wasn't ready to throw in the towel on his career, bringing him to the Commanders in a low-risk, high-reward transaction that could have significant benefits attached.

Criticism around his focus, attitude, and conditioning was rife after the trade became official. Samuel's heard it all and is working immensely hard to silence every doubter coming his way. And he's off to a tremendous start.

Deebo Samuel Sr. is already standing out at Commanders training camp

The former second-round pick out of South Carolina is setting the tone without the services of holdout Terry McLaurin to depend upon. Samuel has shone over the opening stages of training camp, and Zach Selby from the team's website believes this is just the start if the same trend continues.

[Deebo] Samuel had the first explosive play of camp on Wednesday. That basically set the tone for the rest of the week for Washington's new wideout. Samuel has dedicated much of his time to building chemistry with Daniels and learning Washington's offense. He's made progress in both areas, and without giving too much away, the Commanders have taken advantage of Samuel's versatility. Samuel is determined to prove that he can still be an integral part of an offense, and so far, he has shown exactly that in the first week. It will be fun to see how he grows as he gets more comfortable in the scheme.

If Samuel gets a clear run of luck on the health front, there's just no telling what he could accomplish in Washington. He looks lean, explosive, and hungry. And in terms of his scheme fit in Kliff Kingsbury's offense, it's a match made in heaven.

Once McLaurin's situation gets resolved in a way that suits everybody, the Commanders have a potentially potent wideout tandem on their hands. Samuel is the best running mate he's ever had. And with players like Noah Brown, Luke McCaffrey, and rookie Jaylin Lane also expected to make a lasting contribution, Washington's passing attack looks in tremendous shape with quarterback phenom Jayden Daniels leading the charge.

Samuel is a key cog in the wheel. Whether he can get anything close to his previous All-Pro-caliber production is debatable, but there's nothing to suggest a profitable campaign isn't well within his capabilities if he can extend this exceptional start into the regular season.

Everything is going according to plan with a rejuvenated Samuel so far. Long may it continue.