What WR Curtis Samuel brings to Washington

A closer look at Washington's new weapon

Washington made its third splash into free agency, signing wide receiver Curtis Samuel to a three-year, $34.5 million contract. Samuel had been linked to Washington since Ron Rivera was hired as Head Coach and brought Scott Turner with him from Carolina to be his Offensive Coordinator. Turner coached Samuel for his first three seasons in the NFL and displayed how much of a versatile weapon he could be. Now Samuel has reunited with Turner and Rivera in Washington, how does he fit in? Let's take a closer look.

Slot receiver

Earlier in the offseason, I wrote a piece that showed Samuel’s talents, but also questioned if Washington would pursue him. The link is obvious, but under Turner, he was a Z receiver playing outside. It wasn’t until Turner left that Samuel kicked inside to the slot and had the most productive year of his career. Washington has a bunch of cheaper guys that can perform a similar role to Samuel in the slot, but obviously Washington felt he was a significant upgrade.

For me, the biggest question is whether or not Turner will play him at the Z as he did in Carolina, or if he’ll allow him to stay in the slot. Turner didn’t have the luxury of multiple outside receiver options in Carolina and needed to fill the Z receiver role while also getting a talent like Samuel on the field. In 2020, the Panthers signed multiple other receivers, Robby Anderson being the biggest name, allowing Samuel to shift inside to the slot. Washington has some players that can play the Z spot, namely Cam Sims and Antonio Gandy Golden, but neither has the position locked up. So it remains to be seen exactly where Washington will use him. 

My preference would be to keep him in the slot. From that spot, he can use his quickness to win underneath and over the middle, while still having speed to offer a vertical threat. From the slot, he can run a wide variety of routes, including choice routes, which he can be deadly on.

First play timestamp: 0:00

Notes: On the first play of this clip, Samuel aligns as the inside receiver of a bunch set to the left. He delays his release, working wider behind the other two receivers, setting himself up with the ability to cut either inside or out. The Chiefs don’t play the route combination well, with a safety sitting inside waiting for Samuel to break inside. Samuel reads the coverage and breaks outside, leaving him wide open in the flat for an easy first down.

Second play timestamp: 0:10

Notes: Here, Samuel lines up as the inside receiver of a trips set to the left. The defender plays with outside leverage and Samuel works his route wider to attack that leverage and force the defender back. He uses a stutter step to freeze the defender before suddenly breaking to the space inside, but unfortunately the throw was batted down at the line.

While he can win quickly underneath, he can also offer a deep threat with his speed.

First play timestamp: 0:00

Notes: This play is a great example of how Samuel can be a mismatch in the slot with his speed. Slot defenders aren’t always the fastest, they typically have to be quicker to deal with the wider variety of routes they see in the slot, rather than needing long speed to run down the field. Against the Saints here, Samuel runs right up the seam, straight past the slot defender. He smartly bends his route back inside towards the middle of the field, extending the gap between himself and the defender while also working away from the deep safety. He makes the catch over the middle for a big gain.

Second play timestamp: 0:11

Notes: Washington fell victim to Samuel’s speed from the slot this year too. Samuel runs a vertical route from the slot to the right. Washington plays zone coverage, with the slot defender working out to the flat and leaving Samuel to run up the seam. Linebacker Jon Bostic slides over to try and wall him off, but Samuel is far too fast for Bostic to deal with. He wraps around Bostic and crosses the middle of the field, splitting the two deep safeties. Had the throw been better, it would have been a walk in touchdown, but it was so underthrown that Samuel had to stop his route to wait for the ball to arrive. Still, it was a big catch and huge gain.

Working over the middle is what Samuel does best. Aligning in the slot or from tight splits allows Samuel to get matched up favorably against linebackers, safeties and slot defenders instead of the faster cornerbacks that play outside. He’s a huge threat on over routes, which could generate lots of yards after the catch if he gets better throws than what he received from Teddy Bridgewater last season.

First play timestamp: 0:00

Notes: Here we see Samuel align at the tip of a stacked set to the left, tight to the formation. He runs a deep over route off of a play-action fake. He’s wide open behind the linebackers instantly, but Bridgewater doesn’t see him until very late in the play. Samuel does extremely well to win a contested catch and still pick up a big play, but had Bridgewater got the ball in his hands over the middle, Samuel has the speed and momentum to turn that play into a touchdown.

Second play timestamp: 0:13

Notes: This is a similar situation for Samuel. He’s aligned tight to the formation and runs a deep over route from right to left. This time, Bridgewater places his throw behind Samuel, trying to work between two zone defenders. Samuel makes a terrific adjustment to turn his body around and pull in the catch, but had Bridgewater thrown the ball more towards the sideline and up the field, he could have given Samuel a chance to run under the catch and potentially turn down the sideline for extra yards.

Third play timestamp: 0:22

Notes: On this play, Samuel lines up in the slot to the right but motions to the left of the formation. He runs another deep over and is wide open behind the linebackers. But again, Bridgewater throws behind him instead of throwing over the linebacker and out in front of Samuel to run onto it. Samuel does well again to stop his momentum and pull in the catch for another big gain, but like the other two plays in this clip, it could have been much more with a better throw.

Samuel is a much more natural fit in the slot from a receiving point of view, but playing that spot also allows his versatility to shine through.

Versatility

One of the standout traits in Samuel’s game is his versatility. He spent time at both running back and wide receiver in college and while the Panthers drafted him to play receiver, they didn’t ignore his ability to carry the ball. His speed and athleticism makes him a perfect candidate to use on gadget and misdirection plays.

First play timestamp: 0:00

Notes: The first play of this clip is a simple jet sweep. Samuel aligns in a stacked set to the left of the formation and gets signaled to motion across the formation. As he approaches the middle of the field, the ball is snapped and quickly handed off to Samuel with a running start. With the ball in his hands, Samuel does what he does best. He runs by defenders using his speed to get to the edge and burst up the field. He turns the corner and gets up the sideline, picking up a first down before being forced out of bounds.

Second play timestamp: 0:17

Notes: This is a similar play, but instead of it being a jet sweep with the quarterback under center, it technically counts as a quick shovel pass with the quarterback aligned in the shotgun. For Samuel, the method of receiving the ball is altered slightly, but the intent of the play is still the same. He shows off his speed to get to the edge, turn the corner and get into the end zone for a touchdown. 

Third play timestamp: 0:34

Notes: Samuel can also be used on misdirection plays like reverses and end arounds. Here, the Panthers align Samuel in the slot and have him loop around the backfield at the snap. The ball gets handed off to the running back, who then pitches the ball to Samuel on the reverse. Samuel again gets to show of his athletic ability and gets to the edge for another first down.

These types of misdirection and gadget plays won’t necessarily be used often, but Washington can use the threat of Samuel with fake jet sweeps and reverses to hold defenders eyes and create more lanes on normal running plays. They only have to give him the ball on those plays occasionally and the threat of his speed will cause issues for defenses when they’re faked.

I mentioned his history as a running back and he’s certainly capable of taking carries from the backfield. While he’s not as effective on a consistent basis as other running backs, the ability to motion him into the backfield and take carries can create some issues for the defense.

First play timestamp: 0:00

Notes: Washington saw first-hand just how effective Samuel can be as a runner, not that it was a surprise to anyone on Washington’s staff. While he might not necessarily make the correct read every time, he’s a huge threat to bounce his run to the edge. The Panthers run a simple outside zone on this play. Washington gets some push up front, which would cause most backs to cut the run back inside. But instead, Samuel spots an opportunity to bounce the run to the edge where his speed is lethal. He gets outside and makes a sharp cut to leave cornerback Ronald Darby in the dirt as he bursts down the sideline on his way to a huge gain.

Second play timestamp: 0:28

Notes: This isn’t an explosive run, but Samuel takes a generic wide zone carry to the left and hits the hole hard with his speed on his way to a seven-yard gain. Samuel’s rushes didn’t always create a big play, but the threat of him running is the point to make here.

With Samuel being a legitimate threat to carry the ball, the defense has to consider how to defend him when he aligns or motions to the backfield. Because of that, every time he’s on the field the defense has to make note of it and make a decision on how they match up from a personnel standpoint, do they treat him as a receiver and use an extra defensive back or do they worry about being light in the box if he ends up taking a carry? With that in mind, Washington can create a package of plays with Samuel running routes out of the backfield.

First play timestamp: 0:00

Notes: Here, Samuel aligns in the backfield as the running back in a 13 personnel package. The Panthers have three tight ends aligned to the right of the formation, which suggests a run is likely, but with Samuel as the running back, there’s always the option to pass. The Saints have a tough choice to make with what personnel they use to counter this package before they even worry about the formation. Samuel then motions to the slot, emptying the backfield and indicating a pass. Samuel runs a choice route from the slot, beating his defender inside and making the catch over the middle.

Second play timestamp: 0:16

Notes: This time, the Panthers use Samuel as the running back with a bunch set to the right and a sole receiver to the left. The Saints bring a safety down into the box to cover Samuel, which is exactly the kind of matchup the Panthers want. They send Samuel on a wheel route behind a spot up route from the isolated receiver to the left. They attempt to get the safety caught in traffic, but he does well to avoid the receiver spotting up. However, he runs straight into Samuel’s wheel route, crashing into him before the ball arrives which leads to an obvious pass interference penalty.

Third play timestamp: 0:24

Notes: Here is a concept that Turner has already used in Washington. It’s a basic four verticals concept, but instead of having a slot receiver run up the seam, he runs a jet sweep fake and works into the flat as a checkdown, while the running back replaces him in the seam. With Samuel’s versatility to work out of the backfield, he’s a perfect candidate for this type of play. Washington’s defense gets confused by the jet sweep fake and Samuel working from the backfield, which leaves Samuel wide open up the seam for a big gain.

Fourth play timestamp: 0:34

Notes: This is a play from when Turner was coaching Samuel in Carolina back in 2019. Samuel aligns tight to the right of the formation with running back Christian McCaffrey in the backfield. However, Turner calls a shift, moving McCaffrey outside to the left with Samuel replacing him in the backfield. From there, McCaffrey runs a jet sweep fake while Samuel executes a play-action fake out of the backfield. Samuel then leaks out to the left as part of a running back screen, getting the ball in his hands with blockers out in front of him.

Overall, Washington has added speed, versatility and explosiveness to the roster, which is all needed and welcomed. We already have a history between Turner and Samuel that has been productive, so it’s not as risky as other free agent signings might have been. However, the question remains how exactly Washington intends to use him. For me, I’d hope Turner allows him to continue in the slot, as that suits his skillset far more than playing outside. He’ll obviously know the Z receiver role from his time under Turner in Carolina, so he could well spend some time there in certain packages, especially if Washington fails to add another outside receiver. But to get the most production out of his obvious talent, he should play more in the slot where he can work over the middle and create matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.