Breaking down Curtis Samuel’s fit with the Washington Football Team
Curtis Samuel is a perfect fit in Scott Turner’s offense
This is something that has been clear from the start. Samuel fits the versatile model that Scott Turner has looked for from his players and should be able to play a multitude of roles for the team during the 2020 campaign.
Samuel is primarily a slot receiver, and he has thrived in that role for the Panthers in recent years. He’s quick, he has speed, and he is able to separate using solid route running capabilities. But the nice thing about Samuel is that he can line up anywhere on the offense.
Need Samuel to play on the outside? Sure. He can do that. He’s only 5-foot-11, so he won’t be a big-time contested-catch threat out there, but he can use his quickness to get open.
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That said, the bigger area that Samuel will be able to produce is out of the backfield. Samuel is a college running back turned receiver, the opposite of Antonio Gibson, but he still has retained a chunk of his running back skill-set.
Last season, Samuel had a career-high 41 carries for 200 yards and scored twice. On 72 career carries, he has five touchdowns. Samuel runs decisively and has great burst. His vision is solid as well. His only weakness, and why he isn’t a running back full-time at the next level, is his leaner frame.
That said, giving him a few carries a game is more than doable. He served as the Panthers’ backup at times last year when Christian McCaffrey was out and other members of the backfield were banged up. And on jet sweeps, Samuel can make plays with the best of them.
Also, Samuel’s pass-catching ability out of the backfield is very good. So, if you put both he and Gibson in there, opposing defenses are going to have a lot of trouble figuring out who to cover and how, especially with McLaurin on the outside and Logan Thomas at tight end.
Samuel does a little bit of everything. He even can return kicks if needed, though Washington probably won’t opt to use him in that department. But every receiver and running back position on offense? They’re on the table for Samuel to get some reps at.