Niners Nation on Deebo Samuel
From the article
he was coming I was like, 'Hell yeah. Let's go.' Because he is a difference maker... he's got speed to take it to the house all the time... Samuel hasn't returned a punt in his career, but does have 41 kickoff returns, with 32 of those coming in the previous two seasons. During his final season with the 49ers, Deebo averaged 31.3 yards per return, including a 60-yarder. Last season with the Commanders, Samuel was still over 30 yards per return and had a 69-yarder.
STACKED’s take
Samuel's elite kickoff return metrics (31.3 avg, 69-yard return) position him as 49ers' top option.
Samuel is a strong candidate to return kickoffs for the 49ers in 2026 after posting elite return metrics in 2025. He has 41 career kickoff returns with 32 in the last two seasons; during his final 49ers season he averaged 31.3 yards per return with a 60-yard return, and last season with the Commanders averaged over 30 yards per return with a 69-yarder—both would have ranked in the top 5 had he qualified. Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer praised him as "a difference maker" who is "proven" and "done it at a very, very high level," noting he has "speed to take it to the house all the time" and is "really tough to tackle." With the receiving room now deeper (Mike Evans and De'Zhaun Stribling on roster), the 49ers may give Samuel the kick return opportunity in 2026 if preseason competition from Watkins, Pauling, and Bergen doesn't yield better options.
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