San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel celebrates after an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
With Deebo Samuel available for trade, the Pittsburgh Steelers have to at least consider him as a target. Samuel is a talented player, but is coming off his worst season in quite some time, putting up just 640 yards and battling a calf injury for much of the season.
There might be a direct cause for those struggles, though. According to Tim Kawakami, there is a legitimate though in the 49ers organization that Samuel was twenty pounds overweight this season, and it has at least contributed to the idea that the 49ers should move on.
“He is not in shape. I keep hearing it, 20 pounds overweight. And that led to a lot of his lack of explosion, in their belief, his lack of ability to get through tackles, [which has] kind of been who he is. That’s why he’s so valuable. It’s not because he’s outrunning people,” Kawakami said.
Samuel is known for his yards-after-catch ability, and that was still part of his game. He did not have the top gear to turn some of the plays he may have turned into touchdowns in the past, but 439 of his 640 yards were after the catch, showcasing that he has not lost his fastball in that area.
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