49ers Preseason: Why haven’t we seen Deebo Samuel with the starters?

Rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel has been fairly impressive through two preseason games. So why haven't we seen him with the rest of the offensive starters?

Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos was not a pretty sight for the San Francisco 49ers starting offense. It was simply just an all around bad day at the office. From Jimmy Garoppolo’s one completion performance to the miscommunication throughout the offensive line. The 49ers offense didn’t start to make strides until the backups took over. It was almost night and day with how they were moving the ball.

Like with Deebo Samuel’s end around that almost went for a touchdown. The 49ers haven’t had a player with big play ability like Samuel in a long time. For the second consecutive game Samuel was only given run with the second team. It begs the question to ask... Why haven’t we seen Deebo Samuel with the starters?

This guy was a highly coveted pick for the 49ers in the second round. He was arguably the best wide receiver in the 2019 draft, yet for some reason Kyle Shanahan hasn’t given him any looks with the starters. There really isn’t an excuse as to why Samuel isn’t being included with the starters. If he isn’t ready, then that is fine. It’s what the preseason is for to get the rookies ready.

A simple test run to get a feel for the game speed and competition during live action. Another theory is that Shanahan is hiding or saving him for the regular season, which wouldn't make sense since these reps in the preseason are huge. Continuing to build a strong connection with Jimmy Garoppolo and the rest of the offense is whats important. Not to mention that Samuel will be able to go up against a starting caliber defense and not back ups.

He'll get to see a little bit of how it is to face a legitimate defense. The 49ers need to put Deebo Samuel out there with the starters. I find it hard to believe that Marquise Goodwin and even Dante Pettis are better options than Samuel. Through two games so far, Samuel has demonstrated more than these two players. Samuel is a baller who needs to be out there and take his lumps.  Who knows, he might’ve been the spark the San Francisco 49ers offense needed on that opening drive.

Given how versatile Deebo Samuel is, he very well could’ve been the change of pace or different look needed to throw off the Broncos defense. Week three against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday at Levis will give us a better indicator on where Samuel stands. Is he going to be a starter come week one against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Or is he just going to be used as depth and relief? Whatever the case may be, Deebo Samuel needs to be utilized more in this preseason.