Samuel has been playing through the pain barrier in recent weeks. The offseason trade acquisition from the San Francisco 49ers is dealing with bruising in his heel, but it hasn't affected his ability to become an offensive focal point. He wants this momentum to continue, but the Commanders are rightfully proceeding with extreme caution. After the Commanders listed Samuel as questionable for the clash, Quinn was noncommittal. He revealed that they plan to take it through right up until the inactives are due, which will likely involve some pre-game workout before the former South Carolina prospect's status is finalized.
"I've never done that before," Samuel said. "He sent me a TikTok earlier that week and was like, 'Yo, we've got to hit this if one of us scores.' We knew the playcall and figured it would be open, so we made sure we had it right, and he just threw a dot to the back of the end zone."
I told [the defensive coaches] the other day when they were talking to me about the snap counts, it's like, 'Man, we could run gassers, we could be in practice and you give me these plays, we can run to the ball, but at the end of the day, you've got to let me push through some things,' 'You've got to let me get tired and get worn out so that way I can become better.'
Fan excitement is highest for the drafted rookies, overshadowing returning second-year players, with RB Bill Croskey-Merritt generating notable buzz despite limited prior performance. When asked about which player fans wanted to return in 2026, Deebo Samuel dominated the votes, indicating strong interest in his potential impact compared to veterans like Bobby Wagner and Austin Ekeler.
This offseason, Washington significantly enhanced their wide receiver capabilities by acquiring Deebo Samuel and drafting Jaylin Lane, aiming to maximize their on-field potential and mismatches.
