What with the hiring of new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, the Los Angeles Chargers could be looking to add more electric elements to their offensive scheme. While the Chargers offense has a lot of pieces that could work together, like Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey, and Quentin Johnston, more could be added to it…including a receiver that has had connections to McDaniel throughout his career.
According to Zachary Pereles of CBS, the Chargers could prove to be a free agency destination for Commanders receiver and former 49er Deebo Samuel. Both he and McDaniel spent three season together in San Francisco, where Deebo recorded over 2,500 yards with nine touchdowns over those three seasons.
“The longtime 49ers standout heads back to the west coast after one season with the Commanders,” Pereles wrote of the potential deal. “Samuel provides new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel (who was with Samuel in San Francisco) another chess piece, one who can excel after the catch and provide easy completions for Herbert.”
How McDaniel’s History With Deebo Could Shape the Chargers’ Offense
One of the unique ways that McDaniel was able to get Deebo the ball in San Francisco’s offense was actually by running it with him. As the 49er’s run game coordinator, McDaniel was able to utilize Samuel in many different ways. In fact, Samuel was lined up as a running back for McDaniel on 33% of the 9er’s offensive snaps in 2021, when McDaniel assumed the role of offensive coordinator for them.
However, in Miami, McDaniel didn’t really have a Deebo-like player at his disposal. Instead, he had to build an offense around a different type of unique talent in Tyreek Hill. With the Chargers, McDaniel can either utilize the pieces he has or push the team to sign Samuel in order to create more unpredictability in the offense.
Deebo Samuel’s current annual value sits somewhere around the 13 million dollar region, and any potential deal would be on a two year contract worth about 26.6 million. Should the Chargers decide to sign Samuel, it would be fairly simple, as the have upwards of 80 million dollars in cap space to work with, even before adding in potential cuts.
Does Deebo Samuel Fit the Chargers’ Bigger Picture?
There are still several pitfalls the Chargers could make with this decision. For one, they already have a savvy veteran who can be a third down threat and be a vocal leader in the locker room with Keenan Allen. They also have a pretty solid slot receiver in Ladd McConkey as well. More importantly, by re-signing Allen, it may cost even less than a potential deal for Samuel.
Another factor is that with the large amount of cap space, the Chargers could focus on other areas of their team to improve. The interior offensive line could see some changes, as well as potential changes on the defensive side of the ball. This could leave a potential Deebo deal out in the cold.
While Deebo could be an interesting addition for this Chargers team, the real question is would he even be necessary considering the Charger’s other needs?
Christopher Sheppard Christopher Sheppard is a passionate and knowledgeable sports journalist based in Englewood, NJ pursuing a role in the sports media industry. He covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, focusing on the Dolphins, Chargers, and Buccanneers. More about Christopher Sheppard
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