Deebo Samuel was brutally fact-checked by NFL fans Monday night after the star wideout attempted to justify his struggles in the 2024 NFL season.
On X (formerly Twitter), Samuel posted a message seemingly aimed at star quarterback Brock Purdy and his perceived lack of production this season, despite the multitude of injuries the San Francisco 49ers have endured. “Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!” Samuel wrote, with a shrugging man emoji.
And while Samuel seemingly was expressing his disappointment with not being a focal point on offense, fans were quick to correct the 28-year-old’s complaints. Soon after the star’s complaints were posted, fans shared their own conclusions in the form of X’s “Community Notes.”
“Deebo is currently third on the 49ers in targets, and currently gets more touches per game than non-RB player,” the proposed community notes said. “Deebo also leads the team in drops this season.”
As it stands, Samuel is third on the team in touches, with 6.0 per game, which is the most among non-running backs. For reference, Jauan Jennings (5.2), George Kittle (5.1), and George Kittle (5.1) round out the top five for most touches per game in the 49ers offense.
Additionally, Samuel is second in total touches with 72. Only Jordan Mason has more total touches than Samuel, with 164, while Christian McCaffrey rounds out the top three with 65 touches before the team announced he would miss the rest of the season due to injury.
Overall, only McCaffrey and Mason have averaged more touches per game, with the former averaging 16.3 and the latter with almost 14 (13.7) per game. In terms of targets, fans also corrected Samuel, showing that he had not been making the most of his opportunities.
In 12 games this season, Samuel was Purdy’s third-most targeted player. So far, the 28-year-old has been targeted 64 times, just three fewer than Kittle and 14 fewer than Jennings, with injured wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk third on that list with 47 targets despite playing in only seven games this season.
Lastly, Samuel is tied with Darius Slayton, Jerry Jeudy, and Ja’Marr Chase for the sixth-most drops in the NFL this season with five. The wide receiver also leads the 49ers in drops, showing that Purdy and head coach Kyle Shanahan have been doing what they can to feature the star in the offense more despite the drops.
Samuel responded to the criticisms he received in a follow-up post. On X, the 28-year-old added: “Just cause I voice my opinions don’t mean I’m hating on any of my teammates!! Be [for real].”
Regardless of whether Samuel was pointing his message at Purdy, Shanahan, or another entity, what’s clear is that the wideout is not the only one disappointed in his performance this season. Former 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens called out Samuel, claiming the star was more focused on off-the-field antics than what was on the field.
“Deebo is not really playing up to Deebos standards,” the 50-year-old said on 95.7 The Game recently. “It seems like hes more focused on his pregame attire than the game. If we can shift that focus, maybe that can energize and create some more production from an offensive standpoint.”
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