Blogging The Boys
The latest news from around the division.
Deebo Samuel, like Washington last year, is out to prove doubters wrong.
In 2021, Deebo Samuel was arguably the NFL’s most dangerous offensive player. The then-third-year wide receiver caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards (18.2 YPC) and six touchdowns. Samuel also rushed for 365 yards and eight touchdowns.
However, since then, Samuel has failed to reach those numbers, with some calling his play disappointing and both he and the 49ers wanting to separate. In March, San Francisco traded Samuel to the Washington Commanders. In Washington, Samuel would reunite with Commanders’ GM Adam Peters, the former 49ers’ assistant GM who played a significant role in the Niners selecting Samuel in the 2019 NFL draft.
Samuel has one season remaining on his contract. The Commanders altered that contract for 2025, making Samuel happy. Samuel, for his part, appears more motivated than ever. Not only does Samuel want to land a second lucrative contract extension, but he also wants to shut down some of the nonsense regarding his play, including his weight and conditioning. The Commanders and Samuel have shared numerous posts on social media showing Samuel looking to be in excellent shape.
The Commanders believe Samuel can thrive in offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. While Samuel was on some successful 49ers teams, he’s never played with a quarterback like Daniels and opposite a receiver such as Terry McLaurin.
Bet against Samuel. But don’t be surprised if he proves his doubters wrong and has a big year for the Commanders in 2025.
Storylines surrounding the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Eagles are reigning Super Bowl champions and they’ll take their first steps to defending that title this week when they kick off their spring practices.
While the Eagles began their offseason workout program back on April 21 and had their rookie minicamp after the draft, OTAs are the beginning of Phase 3 of the NFL’s offseason workout plan, as defined by the collective bargaining agreement.
This isn’t real football yet but it’s close.
The Eagles this year have six days of OTAs scheduled: May 27-28, May 30, June 2-3 and June 5. They also have one day of mandatory minicamp on June 10. The Eagles are expecting to hold their media availability later in the week.
Here are some key storylines this spring:
A new OC
The Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl season but will have a new offensive coordinator after Kellen Moore left for the Saints’ head coaching job. While the Eagles would have obviously preferred to keep Moore — after you win a Super Bowl, you want to run it back — it’s not like the Eagles’ passing offense was...
