Washington Commanders wideout Deebo Samuel has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys due to a heel injury, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
With Terry McLaurin already out, the Commanders will have to look further down the wide receiver depth chart. As Mike Garafolo of NFL Network noted, it could lead to more work for Luke McCaffrey:
Chris Moore had three catches for 46 yards and a touchdown in last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears—compared to just one catch for McCaffrey—but the latest injury could be a chance to get more players involved.
McCaffrey has three touchdowns in the last four games and could finally make a consistent impact after being drafted in the third round in 2024. He is worth a speculative fantasy pickup and start for desperate teams needing help at receiver.
Zach Ertz should also see a significant boost at tight end as the lone proven pass-catcher still healthy.
Samuel, meanwhile, is no stranger to injuries.
He only played four snaps in a Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last season due to a bout with pneumonia. He also missed Week 3’s game due to a calf injury. Additionally, he missed two games in the 2023 season, four games in 2022 and only played seven games in 2020.
When healthy he’s one of the NFL’s more unique offensive weapons, offering a threat as both a pass-catcher and rushing option, though his unique skill set had something of an overlap in San Francisco with Christian McCaffrey in the backfield.
But even with McCaffrey out injured for much of the 2024 season, the one-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro selection didn’t have one of his signature campaigns. In total, Samuel registered 51 catches for 670 yards and three scores across 5 games, to go along with 136 rushing yards and a touchdown.
His disappointing season, paired with the Niners needing to make some salary cuts given a number of expensive players across the roster—including quarterback Brock Purdy, who signed a massive five-year, $265 million extension—made Samuel expendable, and he was traded to the Commanders for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
The hope in Washington was that he would add another dynamic weapon for star quarterback Jayden Daniels. That’s only possible if Samuel is able to stay healthy, of course.
