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With the news dropping last week that Deebo Samuel has no intention of continuing to play for the San Francisco 49ers, 31 other NFL GMs have likely scrambled to their war rooms to discuss what they could give up in a trade to acquire what might be the most versatile offensive weapon in the NFL last season.
With rumors circulating that the New York Jets are not only the favorites to land Samuel (potentially during the draft this weekend), it feels like an opportune time to evaluate what a player like Samuel can bring to the Jets if Samuel does end up in East Rutherford.
Part of the lore of Samuel is his ability as a dual-threat weapon on offense –– someone who is both effective out of the backfield and lined out in the open field as a wideout.
Samuel finished the 2021 NFL season with 59 rushes for 365 yards and eight touchdowns while being weaponized as a running back, but Samuels' does not want to be a primary running game option going forward.
According to Cynthia Frelund of the NFL Network, Samuel lined up in the backfield on 21% of all snaps over his final 11 games as a member of the 49ers, versus just 2% during Samuel's first 33 games in San Francisco –– that is a 904% increase in snaps taken out of the backfield in the final 25% of Samuel's tenure in San Francisco.
Frelund also further explains that Samuel went from 6.1 receptions per game through the first nine games of the 2021 NFL season to just 3.5 receptions per game through the final 11 games –– that is a 42.6% decrease in receptions per game.
So, it is obvious why Samuel might be frustrated with his role if Samuel's experiencing a 900% increase in use out of the backfield while simultaneously seeing a 42% decrease in receptions.
Samuel also knows that running backs in the NFL have both a shorter shelf life along with a lesser contractual value than receivers do, which is why he wants to be a feature receiver and not a dual-threat running back for his next team.
As a receiver, Samuel caught 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns during the 2021 NFL season, but his ability to separate himself in space with his speed and Samuel's overall versatility can give the Jets a dynamic weapon that coach Robert Salah currently does not possess on his roster.
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The second-highest mark was set by Samuel last season in 2021, where Samuel averaged 10.4 yards-after-catch per reception.
Samuel also led the NFL during the 2021 season in average YAC [Yards After Completion) Above Expectation with 5.2 per game. Second in that category was Cincinnati Bengals rookie phenom Ja'Marr Chase at 4.4 per game.
Per Next Gen Stats, Wilson struggled to throw to both the middle and left side of the field as a rookie, leading to a -10.3 completion percentage over expectation for the season –– the worst completion percentage over expectation of any quarterback in the NFL last season.
Part of the struggle with getting Samuel the ball as a receiver with the 49ers certainly can boil down to Jimmy Garoppolo's inability to throw anywhere outside of the middle of the field.
If Samuel becomes a Jet, the honus will be on Zach Wilson to improve to maximize the full ability as a receiver that Samuel possesses.
