Curtis Samuel, whose 2021 was 'so depressing,' is himself again originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The sequence happened in late July during the Commanders’ second day of training camp, well ahead of any meaningful regular-season action. But for Curtis Samuel, the move was awfully significant.
In that summer session, Samuel hauled in a pass from Carson Wentz in a team period and turned upfield. Upon making his pivot, the wideout encountered cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, who appeared to be in solid position to corral Samuel.
With a sudden juke, though — one where he first lunged away from St-Juste (much like a shooting guard executing the early part of a step-back jumper would) before ultimately slipping by the defensive back — Samuel was able to find open space that, in the moments prior, seemed intangible.
More importantly, the practice highlight helped convince Samuel that his tumultuous first year with the franchise — where he played in a mere five games, posted just six catches and experienced life on both the Physically Unable to Perform List and the injured reserve all due to a painful groin ailment — was finally behind him.
“When people saw me make the cut, it’s like, ‘Oh, Curtis may be feeling good,’” he told NBC Sports Washington on Thursday when looking back on his dusting of St-Juste.
“You could feel his energy, you could see he wasn’t thinking about it,” Terry McLaurin added this week when recalling the juke.
Samuel, of course, made it through the rest of camp (albeit with a couple of scheduled off-days that stoked concern about his health) and has since established himself as a durable and dangerous contributor for the club’s offense. In doing so, he’s largely erased the harsh memories of 2021.
There was a recent time, however, when he wasn’t entirely sure he’d ever get that chance.
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“So depressing”
Samuel spent his first OTAs after signing with Washington living with McLaurin, whom he befriended at Ohio State years earlier. So, when Samuel’s groin issue initially arose, McLaurin’s responsibilities shifted from fellow receiver and buddy to on-call nurse.
“That’s my brother right there,” Samuel said of McLaurin. “I’m literally laying on his couch when I’m dealing with the injury. I’m telling you, I couldn’t walk down the stairs. I’m like, ‘Yo Terry, can you please go get that food for me?’”
The opportunity to attack opponents alongside McLaurin was one of the main reasons why Samuel opted to leave Carolina and join the then-Football Team. That vision was interrupted almost immediately, but even so, the two further built their bond.
“He’s there with me every step of the way, making sure I’m good,” Samuel said. “I’ve got my family, but that was the person that was there when I was going through my stuff. What we’ve been through in college and then after, him helping me along the way, I already knew what type of person he was, but that just showed me a lot.”
Samuel eventually left McLaurin’s abode. The pain he felt refused to do the same.
After being a non-factor at OTAs, Samuel began training camp on PUP. He was placed on the active roster in mid-August, but in the lead-up to the 2021 opener, he tweaked his groin. That’s when he landed on the I.R.
“All of it was pretty much a mess,” Samuel explained. “It was so bad, I’m like, ‘Yo, how can I overcome this?’ I’ve never really dealt with a groin injury so severe that I don’t understand it.
“I didn’t really understand if I would get better, how much better will I be, will I be able to cut?” he continued. “I didn’t understand the injury enough to know if I’d be able to do what I’m doing now.”
Samuel, at last, suited up for his new squad in Week 4 in Atlanta. In the victory, he nabbed four passes. Unfortunately, he’d only log two more the rest of the way, as more absences and a ton of scrutiny marred what should’ve been a career turning point.
“Last year was so depressing,” he said. “It was bad. It was tough — just seeing no way out of it.”
“He just couldn’t get his body right,” offensive coordinator Scott Turner told reporters in a press conference. “As much as those guys try to ignore it, there’s criticism and I think part of him — and I don’t wanna speak for him — but I think he kind of felt like he was letting people down.”
The only positive to come from his serious struggles? Thanks to them, his resurgence is that much sweeter.
“Most explosive”
In order to ensure he actually could share the field with McLaurin, prove that his old Panthers coach, Ron Rivera, was right to pick him up and more, Samuel altered his diet this past offseason as well as his overall outlook on his job. The former meant more grass-fed beef, protein shakes and vitamins, and the latter required a little maturation in terms of cherishing his health.
Those adjustments — along with a previously-dismissed surgery that Rivera now relents should’ve been disclosed — set Samuel up to be ready for Week 1’s contest with the Jaguars.
The results were impressive.
From the outset of the afternoon, the 26-year-old was heavily involved, and he finished the proceedings at FedEx Field with eight receptions for 55 yards, four carries for 17 yards and a first-quarter touchdown that he punctuated with a cathartic celebration.
“It was refreshing,” Samuel said.
He’d go on to visit the end zone the next week in Detroit, doubling down on his desire to “show people what I can do.” There have been additional achievements — a pair of clutch fourth-down snags in Indianapolis, a ridiculous touchdown versus Minnesota, a jet-sweep score in Houston and another fourth-down catch against New York stand out — as Samuel has maintained his role in the lineup and delivered on his do-it-all reputation.
Additionally, Samuel’s play has vindicated McLaurin, who boasted about his former Buckeye teammate’s talents when he originally arrived and is in a spot where he can carry on with such bragging.
“Now I’m strutting around here like, ’See, I told y’all. He’s a dude. He’s exactly who I thought he was!'” McLaurin said with major enthusiasm. “He’s probably the most explosive player I’ve ever played with.”
“It’s been outstanding,” Rivera said when reviewing Samuel’s rebound thus far. “Him being a big part of what we’ve done and the success we’ve had is what we envisioned when we brought him here.”
Samuel, who as a Brooklyn kid grasped that he was a special athlete because he “used to get picked first all the time” for various playground activities, has generated 556 receiving yards, 188 rushing yards and four total touchdowns through 13 games. Presently, he’s tied with Deebo Samuel for 10th in the NFL in yards per touch (8.8) and is on pace to surpass his best marks in areas such as rushing yards and receiving first downs, facts that all speak to his varied skill set.
When asked about Samuel on Wednesday, Taylor Heinicke offered this brief but dead-on assessment of the dual-threat’s appeal.
“Anytime the ball is in Curtis’s hands, it’s very fun to watch,” the quarterback said.
“Football just makes sense to him”
Despite Samuel’s efforts — plus McLaurin’s stardom, Brian Robinson Jr.’s ascendance and Jahan Dotson’s presence — the Commanders offense still is failing to register 20 points a week. Fortunately for Washington, the playoffs remain attainable as long as the team thrives in its final four matchups post-bye.
Samuel inevitably will influence that mission and be key for a unit that’s desperate to produce a little more to lessen the burden on the Commanders’ locked-in defense. And according to his coaches, he doesn’t even need the ball to accomplish that.
“The potential that he brings,” Rivera said, “is the impact that he makes.”
Samuel, in short, is comfortable everywhere, whether that’s on the outside, in the slot, in the backfield or in motion. His foes, on the other hand, become uncomfortable when attempting to decipher what he’ll do and whether he’s the primary option on a given snap or simply a decoy.
“What that does is it spreads and it stresses certain members of the defense,” Rivera said.
For Turner, Samuel represents a coordinator’s ideal piece. His physical gifts, notably his speed, are obvious. Just as crucial, per Turner, is his intelligence.
“He’s one of the smartest guys that I’ve ever coached,” he said. “When someone gives you that many options with what they can do, it helps make the puzzle fit together… I think football just makes sense to him.”
Turner went as far as admitting that he sometimes has to dial back the number of tasks he wants to assign to Samuel — “I don’t want to kill the guy, but you come up with like a million things and then it’s like, ‘All right, narrow it down,'” he joked — but Samuel surely doesn’t mind.
After all, Samuel’s current situation clearly beats being couch-ridden and fighting through immense self-doubt. He’s not afraid to briefly bask in his improved standing, either.
“I know the player I can be,” Samuel said Thursday. “I know who I am.”
