How Kyle Shanahan can help Deebo Samuel bounce back in 2023

Deebo Samuel had one of the best receiving seasons in 49ers history in 2021. To say he followed it up with a down year would be putting it nicely.

“It was awful in every way,” Samuel told the Bay Area media of his performance in 2022.

A lengthy contract dispute which lasted into training camp played a large part in the decline. When the team reconvened to start the offseason program, the star receiver and head coach sat down to review his performance the year before.

“Kyle and I had a long meeting. We watched tape, talked about it and we put it behind us,” said Samuel. “Just going through the tape and how sluggish and how bad it looked on tape. Just reflecting on that, I’ll never put anything like that on tape again.”

Based on a variety of workout clips which have been shared on social media Samuel is following through with doing what he can to put his best foot forward.

#49ers WR Deebo Samuel is absolutely focused this offseason 👀

🎥: @receiverfactor1 x @receiverfactory IG pic.twitter.com/PH3Y8enGLI

— Alex Tran (@nineralex) July 8, 2023

Kyle Shanahan could help Samuel bounce back this season as well if he lets the receiver work downfield more often.

Let me explain.

Samuel is one of the most explosive players in the NFL when he has the ball in his hands. His ability to make defenders miss and break tackles is special. Especially when he gets into the open field. That opportunity wasn’t given very often in 2022.

Last season Shanahan rarely had Samuel run routes down the field. The receiver’s average depth of target was a paltry 4.3 yards, nearly half what it was in 2021. During Samuel’s career season his average depth of target was 8.4 yards.

This appears to be a pattern for Shanahan’s usage of Samuel. As a rookie in 2019 and his breakout 2021 season, Samuel’s average depth of target was over seven yards. The wideout averaged 16.5 yards per attempt those two years.

Samuel’s average depth of target during his down year in 2022 was higher than the 2.2 yards he averaged in 2020. That Samuel was still able to average 11.5 yards per reception over those two seasons is a testament to how good he is after the catch.