The San Francisco 49ers reshaped their receiving corps this offseason by adding Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. They also continued to bolster the position through the draft, selecting De’Zhaun Stribling in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Nonetheless, with the 2026 NFL season nearing, there’s speculation that the Niners could potentially reunite with former wideout Deebo Samuel. During his six seasons with the 49ers, Samuel recorded 334 catches for 4,792 yards and scored 42 touchdowns in 81 games, per StatMuse.
Last season with the Washington Commanders, played 713 total snaps, leading to a 69.4 overall PFF grade. Samuel hauled in 72 receptions on 99 targets for 727 receiving yards and five touchdowns while averaging 10.1 yards per reception and generating 471 yards after the catch.
Nonetheless, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho doesn’t believe the 49ers should consider bringing Samuel back, arguing the move would create more problems than it solves.
“When you start acquiring veteran, talented, but older players, they’re no longer the No. 1 or No. 2 at their position based on your roster; they have to play on special teams,” Acho said on the July 20 edition of “Speakeasy.”
“Now your roster is out of whack and imbalanced. I’m also not going to stunt the growth of first-round pick, third-year player Ricky Pearsall for Deebo Samuel. Is Deebo talented? Duh. But he’s probably had more 700-yard seasons than 1,000-yard seasons. So at what cost? At what cost?”
Deebo Samuel Is on the Downside of His Career
Moreover, Acho believes that Samuel isn’t the player he used to be and that the Niners should avoid being the team that has to deal with the wideout’s decline if his trajectory continues downward.
“Deebo had 700 receiving yards last year,” Acho added. “He had 670 the year before, and 890 the year before that. At the end of the day, Deebo has had one 1,000-yard receiving season. One. Just one.
“And y’all are telling me we should make Ricky Pearsall, who we drafted in the first round, the No. 3 wide receiver? No, I don’t want to do that. Can Deebo ball? Duh. We know Deebo can ball. But, 1,400 yards, 890 yards, 600 yards, 700 yards… what direction is he going in? Y’all tell me.”
49ers Get Strong Deebo Samuel Message Ahead of Training Camp
Amid the speculation about a possible reunion, KNBR’s Larry Krueger recently shared his thoughts on a potential second stint for Samuel.
“I think Deebo would love to come back, but the Niners don’t want to clog up their wide receiver position and block young, ascending players who could break out in training camp, be cheaper and maybe even better than what Deebo was when he was last here,” Krueger said in a July 19 video. “Now, let’s talk about this for a second because Deebo is 30, not 35. He’s 30…
“I don’t know that he’s ever going to reach that 2021 All-Pro Deebo, when he scored 14 touchdowns and was one of the best players in pro football. But according to the people I’ve talked to who are around him, and from some of the pictures I’ve seen, he appears to be in very good shape.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post 49ers Issued Clear Verdict on Deebo Samuel Speculation appeared first on HEAVY.