49ers’ Deebo Samuel: ‘Not Struggling At All, Just Not Getting The Ball!’

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Chicago Bears 38-13 last Sunday. Star wideout Deebo Samuel had three targets and five rushing attempts in the game, totaling 35 yards and zero touchdowns.

“Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!,” Samuel wrote Monday on X, in a now-deleted post. Following a wave of replies, he clarified: “Just [because] I voice my opinions [doesn’t] mean I’m hating on any of my teammates!!”

Samuel, who was selected to the All-Pro First Team in 2021, hasn’t racked up more than 22 receiving yards in four games straight, and has one receiving and one rushing touchdown in all of his 13 games this season. This slump comes despite Samuel having just three less touches than he did at this point last season, which he ended with twelve total touchdowns. He also leads the team in drops with five.

“A little frustrated for sure,” Samuel told reporters on Tuesday, not elaborating further.

Amid a wave of criticism, former 49ers star wide receiver Terrell Owens also took aim at Samuel’s season on 95.7 The Game. “Deebo is not really playing up to Deebo’s standards,” Owens said. “It seems like he’s more focused on his pregame attire than the game. If we can shift that focus, maybe that can energize and create some more production from an offensive standpoint.”

Samuel is averaging 3.3 catches and 46.1 receiving yards per game, and a 40.6% success rate on rushes – each the lowest of his career.

“Deebo and I talk every day. I understand Deebo saying [that he’s frustrated],” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters. “Deebo wants to help us out, and the only way he helps us out is getting the ball more. We’d like to get it to him more, and we’ll continue to work at that.”

“As far as like what we deal with and our relationships and our team, it’s water under the bridge.”

Tight end George Kittle similarly backed Samuel up, noting that the Bears had shifted their defensive scheme prior to their game Sunday, reducing the number of targets Samuel got.

“Unfortunately for a couple of those, they had better calls than the play we called – some type of pressure or how they switched their defense up,” Kittle told The Athletic. “Or we didn’t execute those blocks for him in the ways that we should have.”

“I think Deebo’s very close to breaking them wide open. So I’m very excited for him this Thursday. Because I think he’s gonna have one of those amazing Deebo Thursday night games against the Rams. That’s what I see.”

Article by Katherine Manz