Earlier this offseason, the Washington Commanders and San Francisco 49ers pulled off a blockbuster trade. Fresh off a trip to the NFC Championship Game, the Commanders were ready to push their chips to the middle of the table and added star WR Deebo Samuel.
However, after back-to-back disappointing years in San Francisco, there were already question marks about the former All-Pro selection. Recently, Samuel went viral for looking overweight during OTAs and minicamp. Now, a number of NFL legends have joined the masses in calling out Samuel.
NFL Veterans Call Out Deebo Samuel Over Viral Clips
In a clip that went viral, Samuel was running a route at what seemed like half-speed, and it certainly seemed he had gained a few pounds since the last time fans saw him on a football field. Between the clip of him looking slow and media day photos where he looked larger, fans began roasting the 29-year-old wideout on social media.
Put Deebo Samuel in motion and watch him work. pic.twitter.com/QO0bkTZa7Y
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) June 11, 2025
His new teammates and coaches quickly came to his defense. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn put the jokes to rest by proclaiming the former Pro Bowler was “one of the fastest players on the team.” Then, Samuel received some strong praise from his quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
“I’m excited to throw him a screen and hopefully on the stat sheet it says a touchdown for 80 yards and I didn’t have to do any of the work,” Daniels said of Samuel. “I’m just excited. He’s a great person, a great figure in the locker room. So, we’re hopefully going to see a lot of touchdowns.”
While these comments helped quiet some of the criticism of Samuel, the narrative that Samuel is overweight is back in the spotlight after a pair of NFL legends called out the Commanders wide receiver. During a recent live stream, Brandon Graham and Terrell Owens didn’t mince words when discussing Samuel.
Graham is a Philadelphia Eagles icon and two-time Super Bowl champion who recently retired. He famously strip-sacked Tom Brady in Super Bowl 52 to give the Eagles their first title.
The former Pro Bowler and All-Pro selection got into an argument with a Commanders fan who tried to point to Samuel as the reason his team could flip last year’s outcome. But Graham responded, “I wouldn’t worry about him. He look like he need to get in shape first.”
Brandon Graham on #Commanders WR Deebo Samuel:
“I wouldn’t worry about him. He has to get in shape first” 👀
(via: @JankyRondo)pic.twitter.com/a0QoprCVuL
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) June 29, 2025
He wasn’t the only NFL legend to point out Samuel’s conditioning issues, as Owens went a step further. Owens, a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro who ranks third all-time in receiving yards and touchdowns, was more blunt than Graham.
“He is fat,” Owens said. “He’s about two chicken nuggets away from tipping the scale.”
Toward the end of the video, Owens added: “I love Deebo. Me and Deebo, we had a conversation — he knows what the deal is.”
Like Samuel, Owens started his career with the San Francisco 49ers. He went on to have stints with the Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, and Seattle Seahawks.
Terrell Owens says that Deebo Samuel is “two chicken nuggets away from tipping the scale” 😭
(via: @JankyRondo) pic.twitter.com/oiFMKmmAzY
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) June 29, 2025
After an electric 2021 campaign in which he totaled 1,405 receiving yards, 365 rushing yards, and 14 touchdowns, Samuel hasn’t performed at the same level since. His production has been inconsistent in each of the last three seasons.
Last year, Samuel caught 51 passes for just 670 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 136 rushing yards and one score on the ground in 15 games.
Now, after the change of scenery and recent concerns about his physique, all eyes will be on Samuel to see if he can return to form and help take Washington’s offense to the next level.