Deebo Samuel is a Perfect Complement to the Commanders Offense

Six.

That’s the number of times the Commanders ran the ball with a wide receiver last season. It seems like that’s going to change in 2025 now that they’ve traded for Deebo Samuel, who has carried the ball 226 times over the last 4 seasons.

While that wasn’t the only reason Washington made this move, it was certainly a factor.

Making a Dynamic Run Game More Dangerous

The Commanders had one of the best running games by any metric in 2024. Just look at these numbers courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference data:

It was already a versatile rushing attack before this trade was made. The Commanders leaned on both gap and zone schemes in 2024 and ran the ball inside vs. outside the tackles at close to a 50/50 rate according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

To top it off, Jayden Daniels had the 3rd-most rushing yards by a QB on designed runs (PFF).

With Samuel now in the mix, it adds another dimension that defense have to worry about. That can come in the form of jet-sweeps, orbit-motion/end-arounds, or with Samuel aligning in the backfield and carrying the ball on more conventional running plays:

Last year, Washington led the NFL in frequency of runs against light boxes according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That should only increase in 2025.

This is because when the Commanders align with Deebo in the backfield, defenses likely won’t want to load the box considering it’s just a receiver back there. And yet the Commanders will still be able to run the ball between the tackles with him when they get an advantageous look.

Not to mention, Washington will be able to take advantage of Kliff Kingsbury’s Air-Raid tendencies and desires. We might see more 4-WR sets, which will get lighter defensive personnel on the field. Then when they align Deebo in the backfield, the Commanders will still have multiple options (Samuel and Daniels) to attack that lighter personnel on the ground.

These types of plays may not be the bulk of the offense, but they’ll be instrumental in certain key situations.

The best 4th-down offense in football now has another toy to play with.

YAC King

Of course, Samuel’s impact will be felt more in the passing game. He’s a receiver after all.

But his greatest strengths are related to his ability as a ball carrier. He predominantly catches the ball near the line of scrimmage and than gets yards after the catch.

In fact, more than 75% of Samuel’s career receptions have been on passes thrown within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. For context, you could only say the same thing about 57% of Terry McLaurin’s receptions last year.

But that’s where Deebo does his damage. He has always been among the best wide receivers in the league when it comes to yards after the catch on screens and short passes:

When he’s at his best, he just doesn’t go down:

He also has great vision and ability to find daylight in the open field:

Adding that to any offense would be a huge boost. But adding it to a Commanders offense that utilized RPO’s at the 4th-highest rate in the passing game last season (according to Pro-Football Reference) will make them substantially more difficult to defend.

That’s because the routes that accompany RPOs are generally bubble screens, slants, and other short routes, which is the area of Deebo’s game where he really excels:

Samuel’s mere presence on the field creates more conflict for the defense.

Versatility in the Passing Game

Having a player like Samuel who can align anywhere also adds to the versatility of the offense and can help define coverages more often for Jayden Daniels pre-snap.

For instance, the Commanders will be able to align with a running back on the perimeter and Deebo in the backfield. How the defense responds will provide coverage indicators. And Washington will still have the option to utilize their conventional run game with Samuel if they choose.

Again, this will help improve their situational offense.

More and more in the NFL, we’ve seen offensive coordinators put their receivers in the backfield in the hopes of catching defenses off guard and creating mismatches, particularly in red-zone and short-yardage situations. Just take a look at this Mesh-Rail breakdown I posted last week or this Wide Receivers in the Backfield breakdown from last summer to see some examples.

The Commanders will be one of the few teams in the NFL that can attack this way while also forcing the defense to honor the run with Samuel.

Low-Risk High-Reward

The big issue with Deebo is health. While he hasn’t missed a ton of games, he’s certainly not a sure thing to be penciled in each week. Nagging injuries have sidelined him sporadically or forced him to leave games early. He always seems to be playing through something.

Last year, it’s fair to say that he showed signs of all the injuries catching up with him. His numbers declined across the board. He posted career-low averages in receptions and receiving yards per game. He also averaged fewer touches and scrimmage yards per game than in any of his last 4 seasons.

The Commanders are clearly hoping that they catch lightning in a bottle and Deebo can remain healthy.

Still, this is very much a low-risk high-reward move. Deebo should be able to give them more this year than the 5th-round pick they traded for him likely would have. And his skills complement this offense in an almost-perfect way.

There are few things I like seeing more than an NFL team recognizing when they’re in a championship window and going all in to maximize it.

The Commanders have a 2nd-year superstar QB on a rookie contract and need to make the next couple of years count. I like their urgency.

Washington has the 3rd-most cap room entering the offseason and should be far from done making moves.