It's safe to say 2024 didn't go the way new Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel—or fans of Deebo Samuel—envisioned. Although he started 15 games for the 49ers, he finished the season with just 670 receiving yards, 136 rushing yards and four total touchdowns—a modest haul, but less than his 892 receiving yards, 225 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns the year prior.
From the outside, it may have felt like some of that was effort-related, or, by the wideout's own estimation, his reduced production had to do with him not getting the ball. But he was also dealing with a bout of pneumonia, for which he was hospitalized at one point, so it's not like he was fully healthy, either.
"I was sleeping one night and woke up at probably like two, three in the morning and couldn't stop coughing, but I never had pneumonia and never knew what it was," Samuel recently told reporters, per a write-up on Commanders.com. "So, I wake up in the morning, get ready for the game. I called my IV lady to come do some breathing treatment, get an IV, because I just thought I was, like, dehydrated or just needed some sugar or something along those lines.
"And going out there to pre-game warmup, I just couldn't breathe, literally couldn't breathe, couldn't move. So, I went in the training room, got another IV, I just thought something just wrong. And then probably four or five plays in the game, I feel like if I would've went another play, I probably would've crashed. So, I was just like, 'Hey coach, something isn't right, we gotta see what's going on.' And I go to the hospital and my whole chest is like flamed up. So, I was in the hospital probably like three, four days and got out and me, the competitor. The competitor I am, I just put myself in the position to be in the best shape possible and just go out there and contribute to the team."
Now, preparing for a fresh start in Washington following an offseason trade, Samuel is assuring fans he's still got a lot left to give.
"Yeah, I still got a lot in the tank," he added, asked if he feels like he has something to prove with this new team. "Like I just said, I just go out here and get better every day. Whatever position they put me at to go out here and make plays, I'm going to do the best of my ability."
As for whether this will be a big year for him career-wise, Samuel was also upfront there. The receiver is notably entering the last year of his contract.
"Yeah, for sure," he said, "but I just take it day-by-day and just let the cards play itself."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Deebo Samuel Makes Confident Statement on Playing Abilities After Lackluster 2024.