No NFL team made a bigger leap last season than the Washington Commanders. Just a year after picking second overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, the franchise surged to a 12-win season and an NFC Championship Game appearance in 2024, led by Jayden Daniels, the player they drafted that year.
To match this rise, the team traded for wide receiver Deebo Samuel, paying a price that would have been unthinkable two seasons ago, to give Daniels more weapons on offense. However, not everyone is thrilled with the move; even Micah Parsons’ brother took the opportunity to take a shot at Samuel.
Deebo Samuel Gets Mocked For His Body Shape
Before the 2024 season, expectations around the Commanders were centered on patience and caution. It was widely understood that a new project was just beginning, and results might take time, as is often the case with rebuilding teams. But for Washington, that process accelerated quickly once they found their quarterback of the future in Jayden Daniels.
Adding Samuel is meant to bring more explosiveness to Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. At his best with the San Francisco 49ers, Samuel thrived on short passes and zone looks, creating big plays after the catch and occasionally lining up in the backfield, a wrinkle that helped spark San Francisco’s turnaround in 2021.
Still, Samuel hasn’t been the centerpiece of an offense since that season. Over the last two years, the biggest knock on him has been his weight and conditioning. The wideout has often appeared out of shape, a point Eagles legend Brandon Graham mentioned in an interview, a take that got support from Parsons’ brother, Terrence Parsons Jr.
When asked about Samuel joining the Commanders, Graham said, “I wouldn’t worry about him. He has to get in shape first.” Terrence Parsons Jr. agreed with the take on X, writing, “This facts tho, lol.”
This facts tho lol https://t.co/JIBTDkyYA5
— Terrence Parsons Jr (@Tpars_boii) June 29, 2025
Samuel is coming off his worst season with the 49ers since his injury-plagued second year in 2020. He struggled with drops and felt the pressure of losing his second Super Bowl with the team. A fresh start became necessary, not only due to his physical decline but also because of the mental toll it had taken.
Samuel and the 49ers needed to move on, and the solution was a trade to Washington in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Concerns about his conditioning are valid, but he’ll get to silence the critics starting in Week 1, when the Commanders host the New York Giants on Sept. 7.