The San Francisco 49ers' joint practice with the Tennessee Titans may have provided a hint that the 49ers offense will go back to the future a bit with wide receiver Deebo Samuel this season.
ESPN's Nick Wagoner in his post-practice breakdown noted Samuel got a heavy workload in the backfield during the 49ers' joint session with the Titans.
Via Wagoner:
Deebo is getting a lot of work in the back field and at receiver right now and set the tone in this practice a bit with his hard-charging style. His best play of the day: A tremendous one-handed, left-handed catch in the red zone on a ball Purdy threw behind him. Deebo also revved up the run game a bit as practice went on.
Perhaps the backfield work is just because the 49ers are down so many bodies at running back. Christian McCaffrey, Jordan James and Kaelon Black were all out for Tuesday's practice. Isaac Guerendo is also on the PUP list and unable to practice.
Using Samuel as a gadget player the way they did during his first tenure in San Francisco may not be the best way to deploy the former All-Pro. He was once a dangerous player who lined up all over the field and impacted games as a receiver and as a running back. Over the last couple of years his rushing production has dipped.
In 2024 with the 49ers he carried 42 times for 136 yards. The 3.2 yards per carry were the lowest mark of his career. It didn't get much better last season when he ran 17 times for 75 yards. The average per carry ticked up to 4.4, but that pales in comparison to the 6.3 he averaged in his first five seasons.
Samuel is also breaking fewer tackles. From 2021-23 Samuel averaged 46 rushing attempts and 18 missed tackles forced per season, or .39 MTF per rush attempt. The last two years he's averaging 29.5 carries per season and his missed tackles forced plummeted to seven, or .24 MTF per rush attempt.
It's smart for the 49ers to try and figure out all the ways Samuel can still be effective in their offense. The last two seasons have provided clarity about where Samuel is as a "wide back" at this point, and the 49ers would be wise to reserve the carry-heavy outings for their joint training camp practices.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Everything old is new with Deebo Samuel's role in 49ers joint practice
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