Deebo Samuel wasn’t shy with his self-assessment of his 2022. The San Francisco 49ers star was brutally honest, as he considered it to be an “awful” season.
Samuel, at 49ers OTAs on Tuesday, spoke about his previous season. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted of the assessment Samuel left: “‘Awful’ in ‘every aspect.'”
Samuel noted he recently watched game film with San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan. It’s clear that the 49er star didn’t like what he saw at all, as he remarked that he appeared “sluggish” on the tape too.
After a productive 2021, in which he was named an All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl, Deebo did take steps back. He recorded just 56 catches, 632 yards, and two touchdowns. All were down from his numbers in 2021, in which he hauled in 77 receptions, 1,405 yards, and six receiving touchdowns. All three were career highs.
As the 49ers regroup, Deebo Samuel will have to be among those who step up again in 2023. The 49ers have come close to reaching the Super Bowl again in each of the last two years, but fell short of the goal in the NFC Championship Game. A lot of pressure is mounting in the Bay Area as the team undergoes fluidity and uncertainty at quarterback.
Suffice it to say, you won’t count Deebo Samuel out from saying a change needs to happen.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022