49ers' Kyle Shanahan Addresses Idea That Deebo Samuel Has 'Slowed Down' This Season

The San Francisco coach made his feelings on the matter known.

San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel before the game against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec 12, 2024. / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan disagrees with the idea that wideout Deebo Samuel has lost his touch.

"I don't think Deebo’s slowed down," Shanahan told the media on Wednesday. "I think he got banged up earlier in the year. I thought he had an awesome training camp to where I'd say he didn't slow down at all. We were real excited going into the year and I want to say it was Week 2 he got hurt in. I think Week 2 vs. Minnesota, he had over 100 yards and then we didn't get him vs. the Rams. I don't know if he missed two games or one, but it set him back for a few weeks, and then when he came back he had pneumonia, he had a rib thing."

The illness and then the injury meant he couldn't "practice as much," which in turn makes it hard to keep your edge, the coach continued. "But by no means do I think he's lost it or anything. And then his looks haven't been quite as good this year, just like for everybody. When the 10 guys around you aren't doing quite as good, whether it's him, whether it's the quarterback, whether it's O-Line, you're not going to do as good as you did the year before.”

Kyle Shanahan on Deebo Samuel this season:

“I don’t think Deebo has slowed down…By no means do I think he’s lost it.” pic.twitter.com/KWnT5ZnoQq

— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) December 18, 2024

Some of the recent criticism against Samuel has been self-inflicted—he wrote on social media that he wasn't getting the ball enough, but then failed to break out when the ball did come his way. But Shanahan is right to say that Samuel's health has been a challenge this season, and that obviously interferes with a player's momentum and overall production.

So yes, if you ask any fantasy manager, Samuel just isn't the same these days. And it's true that his numbers are behind compared to seasons past—indeed, he hasn't recorded more than four receptions in any of the last five games. But overall, Shanahan is just chalking his struggles up to a tough stretch health-wise and a 49ers offense that has seen better days all around.

In any event, Samuel will have another opportunity for some touches when San Francisco meets the Miami Dolphins this Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.

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