Commanders’ Deebo Samuel Backed by NFL Star Amid Backlash

George Kittle and Deebo Samuel may no longer be teammates, but that hasn’t stopped the San Francisco 49ers star from defending one of the newest members of the Washington Commanders this offseason.

As the Commanders got to work for day two of their mandatory minicamp, video footage of Samuel running a route went viral on social media. As Samuel looked like he had a lack of explosiveness in the play that was caught on camera, one popular NFL commentary account asked fans what they noticed in the video.

Plenty of NFL fans criticized Samuel’s route-running based on the clip, but Kittle came into the conversation to tell the account to “knock it off.”

“It’s called group install when players jog thru plays,” Kittle wrote on X. “Knock it off.”

Kittle’s reply generated over 215,000 impressions, hundreds of reposts, and thousands of likes.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that Kittle came to the defense of Samuel on Wednesday. Despite the two no longer playing on the same team, Kittle has spent most of his career playing alongside the veteran wide receiver.

During Kittle’s third season in the NFL, Samuel entered the league as a second-round pick out of South Carolina. The 49ers called on him to make him the 36th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Samuel played a key role for the 49ers, starting in 11 of 15 games, catching nearly 60 passes for over 800 yards and three touchdowns.

After struggling to stay healthy in year two, Samuel developed into a star for the 49ers in 2021. Appearing in 16 games, Samuel accounted for 1,405 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed 59 times for 365 yards and eight touchdowns.

Since his career-high year in 2021, Samuel hasn’t reached those heights in the passing game, but he has remained a major threat to defenses in the air and on the ground. Over 81 career games with the 49ers, Samuel has racked up over 4,000 receiving yards and rushed for over 1,100 yards. In postseason play, he has 46 catches for 638 yards and 52 carries for 288 yards.

Heading into the 2025 NFL offseason, Samuel was viewed as a potential trade candidate in San Francisco. On March 12, the wide receiver was moved to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the most recent draft. Samuel joined an up-and-coming Commanders team with a young star at quarterback, who led the team to the NFC Championship game in 2024.

Washington hopes Samuel brings the offense to greater heights in 2025. As they look to potentially make another deep postseason run, they get a double-threat in Samuel, who carries four playoff runs in six seasons under his belt.

While fans might believe Samuel’s best days are behind him based on a single video in minicamp, the six-time Pro Bowler throws cold water on that idea.