The 49ers bringing Deebo Samuel back never felt like a stun gun to the system, especially after Ricky Pearsall’s season-ending surgery changed the equation. What is a little more eye-catching is the possibility that San Francisco may be seeing a version of Samuel it figured was gone for good.
That’s the read Matt Barrows of The Athletic offered after watching Samuel in training camp. Barrows wrote:
“He’s looked good when he’s been out there. I’m not saying he’s back to looking like 2021-season Deebo, but 2023-season Deebo seems reasonable.
The 49ers also have not been shy about giving him carries and talking about using him as a running back. So not only is Deebo back - wideback is back.”
That matters because 2023 was the last time Samuel cleared 1,000 all-purpose yards. Since then, the numbers have backed up hard.
He was a shadow of himself in 2024, finishing with 670 receiving yards and only four total touchdowns. His lone season in Washington was underwhelming too. The receiving total ticked up, but the ground game faded badly, and he logged just 17 carries.
That’s why the 49ers probably didn’t bring him back expecting a throwback explosion. More likely, they viewed him as a reliable veteran who could still deliver in spots and give the offense a steady hand. But if Samuel does turn back the clock, even partway, that changes the whole picture.
In 2023, he put up 892 receiving yards, added 225 rushing yards and scored 12 total touchdowns. Whether he can still be a real factor as a runner is still an open question, but he looks to be in good shape, and if the health holds, there’s reason to think he can get close to that kind of production again.
At the very least, Samuel seems to be enjoying his return to San Francisco. A year with another team may have reminded him what he had with the 49ers, and that kind of reset can matter.
He looks right in that uniform again, and maybe that familiarity helps him find a younger version of himself that the Niners assumed they’d already lost. If that happens, Brock Purdy suddenly has a lot more to work with.
In Other News...
49ers Lose Another D Lineman As One Front Issue Grows
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The 49ers are now looking at practice squad call-ups to patch the roster spot, a reminder that depth on the defensive line can disappear quickly over the course of a season. Collins is expected to be ready for training camp in 2026 if his recovery goes well, but for now the immediate concern is how San Francisco keeps its rotation intact without another key body in the middle. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Week 1 Just Got Tougher For A Reason Rams Fans Love
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Alaric Jackson is also expected to play despite a recent domestic violence charge, a situation that stands in contrast to other players who have landed on the NFL commissioner exempt list. For the 49ers, the bigger picture is simple: a divisional rival opens the year with key names on the field and one of the league's most disruptive defenders out of the mix, which changes the tone of the matchup even before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Suddenly Face A Bigger Stability Question Than Fans Expected
The 49ers have already spent much of this offseason dealing with the usual roster-and-coaching chatter that follows a disappointing finish, but a new report is pushing the conversation higher up the ladder. Jason La Canfora, writing for Casino Guru, says there is unrest inside the ownership group and points to a turbulent stretch around the franchise, with anonymous sources describing personal conflicts within the York family and a sense that the organization is entering a more uncertain phase.
The report also folds in the departure of executive Paraag Marathe and broader speculation about the teams direction, including possible coaching changes and a decline in stability around the building. Even so, the claims come with a caution flag attached, given the questions that have followed La Canforas reporting in the past, which leaves this as the kind of story 49ers fans will keep an eye on rather than take at face value just yet. [Read more 🡒]