Dan Quinn calls Deebo Samuel 'one of the fastest players' on Commanders
The Washington Commanders acquired veteran receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers in an offseason trade.
Coach Dan Quinn was familiar with the veteran after coaching against him during his many years as the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator.
Even so, Quinn was reminded about a key element of the 29-year-old receiver's skill set after seeing him in action during offseason workouts.
"Somewhere along the way, I'd forgotten until [he was] out here how fast he is," Quinn said, per the Commanders' official website.
Samuel's reputation at the NFL level has largely been tied to his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands. He averaged 8.2 yards after the catch (YAC) in 2024 – good for the fourth-most league-wide, per Pro Football Focus – and forced 10 missed tackles on 93 total touches.
"He was such a difficult person to tackle that you spent so much time, 'How are you going to tackle this person?'" Quinn said.
Still, Samuel has game-breaking speed, as he demonstrated by reaching a top speed of 20.90 mph on a 76-yard touchdown reception in Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks. It marked his fastest speed since his rookie season in 2019, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats.
Samuel was slowed after that reception by a bout with pneumonia that left him hospitalized. That may have affected his top-gear ability over the second half of the 2024 NFL season.
But at Commanders minicamp, Quinn has seen signs that Samuel's speed remains an underrated weapon.
"I can remember one time he just ran by somebody down the field on a deep ball and I was like, 'Yeah, I forgot about that,'" Quinn said of Samuel, with a laugh. "So…it didn't surprise me, but it was maybe [that] I missed talking about it to that space because I was easily reminded, he's one of the fastest players on the team."
Samuel's combination of speed and elusiveness should allow the veteran receiver to carve out a solid role as a complement to 2024 All-Pro second teamer Terry McLaurin and give reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels another reliable downfield target.