The 49ers didn’t bring Deebo Samuel Sr. back just to park him at one spot and hope for the best. John Lynch made that much clear right away.
After Ricky Pearsall’s season-ending knee injury, San Francisco signed Samuel to a one-year deal worth up to $7 million, and the plan sounds as flexible as the player himself. Lynch said Samuel will be used as a weapon in multiple phases of the game, not just as a receiver.
“You are going to see him in the return game, at receiver, and at running back,” Lynch told reporters. “We are going to use him all over the field, and we are really excited to have Deebo back.”
John Lynch says that the 49ers plan to use Deebo Samuel as a Swiss Army knife 🔪 pic.twitter.com/dzKui0Y4Dt
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 1, 2026
That kind of usage fits Samuel’s résumé. He earned First-Team All-Pro honors with the 49ers in 2021, when he piled up over 1,700 total yards and 14 touchdowns while working as one of the league’s true hybrid threats. He also remains the only wide receiver in NFL history to reach 20 receiving touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns in a career.
Samuel spent the 2025 season with the Washington Commanders after San Francisco dealt him for a fifth-round draft pick. In his lone year there, he finished with 727 receiving yards and five touchdowns through the air, plus 75 rushing yards and a score on the ground.
The fit in San Francisco is obvious. Samuel has built his reputation on breaking tackles and turning routine plays into explosives, and with Kirk also dealing with an early-camp calf injury, the 49ers get another layer of depth and a player who can change the shape of an offense.
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