San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is struggling this season.
His limited production was put under a spotlight Sunday in a 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears where virtually everything worked for the 49ers offense except for the touches designed for Samuel. He had 13 rushing yards on five carries and hauled in two receptions for 22 yards.
This season the 2021 All-Pro has 40 catches for 553 yards and one touchdown on 64 targets. He’s also been limited to 92 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on 32 carries.
Samuel on Monday took to social media and blamed his lack of production on the team’s play calling, writing on Twitter (currently X) that he isn’t getting opportunities:
Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!! 🤷🏾♂️
— Deebo (@19problemz) December 9, 2024
Samuel in 12 games this season has 72 total touches — 6.0 per game.
Last season he averaged 6.5 touches per game in 15 contests. In 2022 he was at 7.5 per game.
The problem is his touches aren’t nearly as effective as they used to be. In his first five seasons Samuel averaged 11.6 yards per touch. This season he’s at 9.0 per touch, including a career-worst 2.9 yards per rushing attempt.
According to Pro Football Focus, Samuel’s yards after catch per reception is a career-low 7.5, while is yards per route run sits at a career-low 1.73.
He’s also forced only eight missed tackles this season on 40 catches per PFF. Last year he forced 33 missed tackles on 73 catches. The trend is the same as a runner where he’s averaging a career-low 2.4 yards after contact and he’s broken only eight tackles in 32 attempts. In 2023 he forced 22 missed tackles on 43 carries and averaged 3.2 yards after contact.
Samuel may be getting fewer opportunities this year, so his frustration is understandable. But his dip in opportunities has coincided with a clear decline in his success once the ball is in his hands.
